Silvered Assassin
by wpnsiu86
Summary: A young girl trained to be an assassin since young found herself taken into the organization. How will her life be changed? Or will her life just be the same?
1. Prologue

**Silvered Assassin**

**Intro: **This story is set 200 years after the current events in the actual Claymore Manga. New dangers have since emerged. How will the new generation of warriors fare?

**Chapter 01: Prologue**

"Oh… there you are. I thought you were lost or something," Ruben called out to a young man, a smile clearly visible on his face despite waiting for a long time.

"Sorry, I got the location mixed up," the young man said apologetically. Still in his early twenties, Makedon ran up to his mentor. He was supposed to learn the trades of a handler. In due time, Makedon will be in charged of a few Claymores. Their clothing, missions, everything. Not an easy job, but probably the most prestigious job for males working in the organization.

"Oh my… I would appreciate it if you would bend down a little," the older handler remarked, having to tilt his head upwards just to see the young man's face. Makedon was a head taller than the average man, and Ruben couldn't help commenting on his young apprentice's height.

"Ahh… sorry about that, Master Ruben," Makedon replied sheepishly, probably a bit embarrassed that he caused some problems for his mentor. Glancing to his right, Makedon noticed a group of young girls a short distance away.

"Run faster!" a loud voice filled the air, "You girls better not slack off! I'll kill you if you do that!"

Just beside the group of girls was a huge man. Standing just as tall as Makedon, the burly trainer had his eyes fixed on the young girls. Any mistake and the trainer's gigantic fists will greet that unfortunate girl. These girls have yet to receive the operation. They're just training to ensure that they are physically and mentally ready for the upcoming operation.

"That's Jorge," Ruben spoke suddenly, startling Makedon a little. "He is the toughest of all trainers. In fact, more girls have died under his training than all the other trainers combined. Pretty impressive, huh?"

_What's so impressive about that?_ Makedon thought to himself.

"Hey! You! What are you doing!?" Jorge shouted out. One of the girls had apparently stopped running. She just started walking away for no reason.

_Whack!_ Jorge's fists landed on the girl's right cheek, sending the girl on her knees.

"This training is useless. I don't need it," the young girl retorted as she slowly stood up, before she looked at Jorge straight in his eyes. Tears weren't forming in the girl's eyes, as one might expect. In fact, no a single shred of fear was detected on the girl's cold and unfeeling gaze.

Jorge was taken aback. Known to be a no nonsense trainer, not once has a trainee dared to look at him in the eyes. All the other girls in the group dare not even look at what was happening. Yet this young girl, who was at most 10 years of age, showed no fear.

"You little slut! You sure are asking for it!" Jorge rushed forward to throw another punch at the girl.

Without warning, the young girl leapt sideways and pushed Jorge in the direction he was running. Slightly off balance, Jorge stumbled a bit before turning around to attempt another punch. Predicting that he will do that, the young girl quickly ran towards Jorge, and then ran around him just as he was turning. By the time Jorge turned around, the young girl was behind him again.

"Your movements are painfully predictable," the young girl said in a calm manner, giving a hard kick to the back of Jorge's left knee. With his left knee on the ground, the young girl could easily grab the knife strapped at Jorge's waist. Before he knew it, the sharp blade of the knife was only a millimeter from his windpipe. A small cut would be sufficient to kill him.

"Pathetic," the young girl whispered to Jorge's ears, before slashing his windpipe, her eyes not flinching one bit, her face showing no emotion, "Absolutely pathetic."

Makedon watched in horror as Jorge's lifeless body slumped to the ground. _A huge guy like him… has been killed by a girl less than half his size. Impossible! No way! Just who is she?_

"My my… it's been quite some time. Looks like we've got quite a talent," Ruben smiled to himself, and walked off.

_**End of Chapter 01**_

Hi everyone! Hope you all enjoyed this short chapter. It is actually just a prologue. The main story will start in the next chapter.

This is actually the first time I've written or posted a fanfic online, so I would greatly appreciate if anyone can give me some pointers or advice on how to improve my writing (plot, the way I present the story, anything). I really hope to be able to present the story in the best possible way, so feel free to comment.

Lastly, thanks for spending some of your time to read my humble work.


	2. God Hands

**Silvered Assassin**

**Chapter 02: God Hands**

"Master Daegmund, your swords," Charlene passed a pair of swords to her master. A man in his late thirties, Daegmund Amherst was of average height and had a slender build. He had brown hair which ran untidily down to his shoulders, his droopy eyes making him look laidback. Despite his less than impressive appearance, Daegmund was actually an assassin serving in Agartha, a prosperous city state along the western coast of the continent.

For as long as she could remember, Charlene had been under his care. Daegmund was a lonely man, his world mainly revolving around his duties. He rarely mingled with anyone else, spending his time in his peaceful manor whenever he's off duty. Charlene had no idea why a solitary man like Daegmund chose to adopt a homeless orphan like her, but she was happy enough to have someone taking care of her. Aside from providing her with food and shelter, Daegmund never really cared for Charlene. His only concern was to teach his young disciple the only thing he knew – his unrivalled swordsmanship and the art of assassination.

"Follow me," Daegmund instructed his young disciple coldly, not making any eye contact with her. Charlene just nodded her head and followed her master quietly. The young girl did to utter a single word as she followed her master to the King's palace. Daegmund would show his displeasure whenever she spoke about anything deemed unnecessary to him, and the young girl had learnt to speak almost nothing at all, not that her master actually minded. In fact, he preferred it that way.

Charlene waited outside of the palace main hall. She was not allowed to enter. A ten year old girl wasn't going to be allowed to meet the King of Agartha. At almost twice the size of Rabona, the city state of Agartha is one of the largest and most powerful cities on the entire continent. Agartha's ships dominate the sea trade routes along the continent's western coast, while its mighty army is feared throughout the western region.

For half a day, Charlene just waited outside the main hall. Her legs were tired, and she was growing restless. But the young girl dared not sit down to rest or even fidget, holding on to her master's swords tightly. She wouldn't want Daegmund to see her resting off in one corner when he came out from the meeting.

Daegmund's choice weapons consisted of two swords strapped together, their hilts each pointing in opposite directions. Each sword only has one sharp edge, with the sharp edge curving in at the end to form a sharp tip. The blade of the main sword was 30 inches long. The secondary sword's blade was 10 inches shorter. No one could wield the two swords as well as Daegmund, his fast and precise moves usually killing his opponents before they could react in any manner. Daegmund had the fastest hands in the whole of Agartha, and he was widely known to many as the 'God Hands of Agartha'.

The King's meeting was taking longer than expected, and Charlene was starting to grow impatient. She'll rather spend the afternoon practicing her swordplay than to wait for the meeting to end. As Charlene's mind started to picture the moves her master taught her yesterday, she could hear the door of the main hall opening. The meeting had ended, and Charlene couldn't be happier. Turning around, Charlene looked out for her master to emerge from the main hall. But all she saw was a man with a tall and slender build. His jet black hair was neatly trimmed, and his eyes were narrow, like a fox. Captain Argo, a promising military officer, and the eldest son of the Zeeman Clan, one of the noble families of Agartha, stood before Charlene.

"Guards, take the girl as well," Argo commanded as he took a sideward glance at Charlene.

Charlene stood dumbfounded as several guards grabbed her hands and dragged her away. She had no idea what was happening as the guards started to pull her away. _What have I done? Why am I taken away? What is happening? _Numerous thoughts ran through Charlene's mind, but she could not come up with any answers. Too afraid to make any noise, Charlene just stared straight ahead, hoping that her master would save her.

Then she heard it, the voice of her master, "My King! You have to believe me! I have always been loyal to you! I have no other master but you!"

"Silence, you traitor. The King will no longer listen to your lies," Argo raised his voice in an attempt to silence Daegmund.

Traitor? Charlene could not believe what she just heard. Her master might seem aloof at times, but she knew he would never betray the King. Daegmund was fiercely loyal to the King, and he would risk his life to complete any mission given to him. Daegmund has aided in eliminating the King's enemies countless times, and had thwarted several assassination attempts of Agartha's ruler. There was no way Daegmund would betray the King after doing so much.

It was a rash action, so rash that Charlene could not understand why she did it in the first place. For some reason, the soldiers did not remove her master's sword from her hands. Charlene released the sword she was holding on, allowing gravity to pull the weapon down. She then grabbed the hilt as it dropped by her hand, and using her legs, Charlene managed to unsheathe the shorter of the two swords. With all her strength, Charlene aimed the sword at the soldiers holding on to her left arm. The sword's tip missed the soldier, but it was enough to force the soldier to loosen his grip on her left arm as he had removed his arms to avoid the attack.

_Now's my chance!_ Switching the sword to her free left arm, Charlene aimed for the other soldier's unprotected face. It was a gruesome sight, but Charlene was unfazed that she just killed a soldier in such a messy way, or that the dead soldier's blood was all over her clothing. Daegmund had trained her to disregard such things.

Drawing his sword, the other soldier aimed at Charlene's head and swung his sword. The young girl skillfully hit the flat side of the soldier's sword, forcing the sword's trajectory upwards, and missing its intended target by a whisker. Almost immediately, Charlene sent her sword into the soldier's thigh, using her body weight to push it further in. The soldier screamed in pain as he fell down, unable to stand with the agonizing pain. With the soldier on the ground, Charlene jumped on him and pinned him down.

"Stop it!" Just as Charlene was about to apply he finishing blow, she heard the voice of her master. Daegmund's words were enough to stop Charlene from creating more bloodshed. At that moment, she felt like her master's words had jolted her out of a trance. Calming herself down, Charlene withdrew her sword obediently.

A few soldiers promptly took Charlene away, making sure to remove her sword this time.

"Take the girl away, quick!" Argo commanded, clearly rattled by what had just happened. A young girl who was barely ten years of age was able to take on two well trained soldiers. And she did it without fear. In fact, the young girl's face showed no emotion during the whole incident. For a moment, she just felt like a killer, a cold blooded killer.

--Section Divider--

Charlene sat at one corner of the cell, her master at the other. For hours, the young girl just looked down, not daring to look at her master even once. She knew Daegmund would lecture her severely for what had happened earlier. The young girl struggled to hold back her tears – crying would give Daegmund another reason to be upset with her.

"It's not your fault," Daegmund broke the silence, "I'm the one to blame. I shouldn't have involved you in the first place."

Charlene don't know whether to be happy or not. Did her master meant what he said, or was he just comforting her. Nevertheless, Daegmund's words brought much relief to her. Daegmund seldom talked to Charlene. Most of his words to her were either instructions or harsh words. Daegmund rarely spoke to Charlene with such a sincere tone, and the young girl was happy enough to hear those reassuring words from her master.

"Don't worry; I'll make sure you live. Nothing will happen to you," Daegmund assured Charlene.

Charlene nodded her head lightly. Leaning her head against the wall, Charlene took a quick glance at Daegmund before closing her eyes. She was exhausted; it has been a long and tiring day. Charlene quickly dozed off. Unknown to her, that quick glance would be the last time she would ever see her master.

--Section Divider--

"Wake up…" Charlene felt someone calling out to her. Opening her eyes, she realized that she was outside of Agartha by the time she woke up. Standing in front of her was Alden, a close friend of Daegmund.

Still trying to figure out what was happening, Charlene searched around for her master, but he was no where to be found, "Master Daegmund…"

"He's gone. Here…" Alden handed Daegmund's swords to Charlene, "This is the best I can do for you. Leave this place while you still can."

Countless questions ran in Charlene's mind. Up till that moment, Charlene still had no idea why her master was being branded a traitor. She knew Daegmund was extremely loyal to the King, and betraying his King would be the last thing on her master's mind. But more importantly, Charlene wanted to know if Daegmund was still alive. In the end, Charlene did not ask a single question. Taking her master's sword, Charlene picked herself up and started walking east, away from Agartha.

The last thing Charlene remembered was herself collapsing on the ground, too weak to do anything due to her hunger. She had spent several days walking without any direction, and the young girl hadn't had anything to eat. Too weak to even call for help, Charlene felt as if her life was creeping away from her. Her eyes started to close. Charlene was certain that was her last breath…

--Section Divider--

"How are you feeling?" A voice reached Charlene's ears, "What's your name, young lady? How old are you? Can you even speak?"

Charlene opened her eyes. She was still alive. Beside her was a stranger, dressed in black from head to toe. The young girl couldn't recognize where she was. All she could see were dull grey walls surrounding her. Other than that, the room she was in had nothing.

"Fine… Charlene… ten… yes…" Charlene answered. She wasn't too keen on speaking to that stranger, and provided just what was asked of her.

"Oh… ok," the stranger clearly amused by Charlene's short and direct answer, "Welcome to the Far East."

"Far East?" Charlene murmured to herself, unsure of what the stranger was talking about.

"Yes, yes. Far East. You're in the city of Staff. The Organization welcomes you, young lady," the stranger explained with a smile on his face.

Charlene looked away. She hated the way the stranger smiled. She hated the room she was in. And she would come to hate herself very soon…

_**End of Chapter 02**_

This chapter mainly explains how the main character ended up as a claymore. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As always, I would appreciate if anybody can give me advice on how to improve my writing/story. Please give your comments. Thanks for reading!


	3. Wind of Death

**Silvered Assassin**

**Chapter 03: Wind of Death**

"They're here!" a man on watch duty shouted, ringing the alarm bell at the same time.

The hustle and bustle in the town's marketplace was suddenly filled with dead silence. Not one soul uttered a word. Everyone just stopped what they were doing and watched in silence as two figures approached the town. The two figures soon made their way into the town, with the sound of their metal boots striking the ground distinctly clear amidst the silent crowd.

"Can we really trust these monsters?" a man whispered to his wife. "They seem more dangerous than those damn yomas."

"Unbelievable! They really have silver eyes," another man remarked.

_Wham!_ The wooden door swung open, startling everyone in the room.

"Who's the mayor?" a low voice broke the silence in the room. Standing in front of them was a tall and slim figure, with her hair reaching down to her waist. "I'll need all the information you have."

"Err… I'm the mayor," a trembling old man stepped up, trying his hardest to look unafraid, with little success. "The yoma seems to be targeting merchants using the trade route just south of here. 33 people have been killed so far, all within a week."

"Looks like a voracious eater," Annthea mumbled to herself, ignoring the curious yet fearful eyes staring at her. It's not everyday you get to see a Claymore.

"Let's go, Bernice," Annthea's hands motioning to the other Claymore to follow her. "I'm dead tired. Let's find a nice place to rest."

"Yes ma'am," Bernice nodded her head. "Sounds good."

--Section Divider--

"Hey, what's wrong? You seem to be bothered by something," Bernice had caught Annthea staring at nothing, and couldn't resist asking.

"I'm No.13, you're No.24. Since our target is most likely an awakened being, one of the remaining 2 members of this hunting party must be a single digit, right?" Annthea replied.

"Huh?? So what about that?" Bernice responded casually, before turning her attention to Annthea's untouched bowl of stew. "I'm taking it if you're not eating," the bowl in her hands even before she finished asking.

"Weren't you listening to Morgan? He said the other 2 members of our party are rookies. They have only been in active duty for 6 months." Annthea explained, unconcerned about her "stolen" stew. "There's no way for rookies to be single digits. I don't understand it. Why are they sent to hunt an awakened being?"

Bernice gave a surprised look. "Hmm…. Now that you mentioned it… …"

"You sure are dense, aren't you? Such an obvious problem and you didn't even notice it all this while." Annthea remarked softly, but loud enough for Bernice to hear it.

"Hey! What did you just say?" Bernice responded angrily. "Want a taste of my blade?"

"Hmph… you're really ridiculous." Annthea lectured Bernice. "You should really learn to contro…" Annthea stopped speaking all of a sudden, stunned by a sudden surge in yoki around the area. Instinctively, both Claymores grabbed their huge weapons, ready to fight any moment. Running out of the inn, they came face to face with the very monster they were supposed to slay.

"Ohh… good day to the both of you," a gentle voice came out. Just a few meters away stood a young girl, with only a dirty and loose fitting dress covering her petite body. A sinister smile broke out on the young girl's face, "Nice to meet you both."

_Damn! _Annthea thought to herself. _Never expected this monster to come looking for us. This doesn't look good._

"Arghh… looks like Morgan's info was wrong!" Bernice shouted to Annthea, "This bitch's stronger than expected! I'm going to kill that idiot later!"

"Oh?" the young girl giggled softly. "You actually think you can defeat me? You're pretty optimistic, aren't you? To be honest, I'll really enjoy crushing that little optimism of yours, little miss junior."

"Tsk… junior? I don't recall having a senior who looks like a monster," Bernice scoffed at the young girl's remarks. "You're going down today, old hag."

"Hmph…" the young girl chuckled to herself again, seemingly enjoying her encounter with the two warriors.

The town was silent.

No one dared to even open their mouth. Everything just came to a standstill. Everyone in the town had hidden themselves, not wanting to be dragged into imminent clash. The townspeople could only pray for their safety, but the only answer from the heavens was a heavy downpour.

"Darn… of all times to rain," Bernice's eyes winced as water trickled into her eyes. She took one arm off her sword to rub her eyes.

"How careless of you. Taking one arm off your sword in the middle of a fight," the young girl raised her right arm, and her sharp fingers extended towards Bernice at a frightening speed. Swinging her sword wildly, Bernice barely managed to block that attack.

"Bernice! Cover me!" Annthea rushed towards the girl. _I have to kill her before she fully transforms, _Annthea decided. Rushing from the girl's right side, Annthea's eyes turned gold, her right arm's muscles starting to twitch violently. Storing as much energy as she could, Annthea swung her sword with all her might, attempting to slice the girl's head off with that one move.

A huge amount of dirt and dust were swept up as Annthea's sword hit the ground. A deep cut into the stone path could be seen at the point of impact. Annthea had missed, her opponent dodging a potentially fatal strike skillfully.

"Annthea! Above you!" Bernice screamed out, but it was too late. The girl had fully transformed by that time, and her sharp fingers easily pierced through Annthea's shoulder armour. The pain was excruciating as the awakened being's fingers pierced through her arms and shoulders. Annthea was lucky that her vital organs weren't hit.

"Not bad," the awakened being praised Annthea, extending her fingers towards Bernice as well. "I would have died if that strike had hit me. It's rare to see a strike with so much power in it. But the both of you are just a step too slow."

"Don't be too cocky, you bitch!" Bernice evaded the awakened being's deadly fingers and sprinted towards it, hoping to catch her enemy off guard.

"Hmph… you girls just don't learn," The awakened being saw through Bernice's move and sent a few extended fingers towards Bernice.

"Hah! You won't get me with repetitive attacks like that!" Bernice easily blocked the attack, thinking that she had got the better of her opponent. Without warning, the awakened being disappeared from her sight. _What!? Where the heck did that monster go? It was in front of me, isn't it? It can't possibly have gone behi…._

"One down," The awakened being seemed pleased with itself. It had gone behind Bernice and impaled her in the head and chest.

"Bernice! No!!!" Annthea screamed in horror as Bernice lay dead in front of her.

Annthea couldn't move. The injuries she sustained weren't fatal, but enough to make her immobile. Tears filled her eyes as Annthea tried to force her body to move. Revenge was the only thing in her mind. There was no way she could forgive that monster for killing her comrade. But her hands seemed heavier than usual, her legs lay stuck to the ground, her breathing became heavier with each passing moment. The only thing the defeated Claymore could do was to lie on the ground, cursing her inability to avenge her fallen comrade.

"Well… I guess it's over. Goodbye, junior," the awakened being raised its right arm, and prepared to give Annthea the finishing blow.

_Swoosh!_ A sudden gust of wind took the awakened being by surprise.

"What was that? Where did that gust of wind come from? Whatever… I've got to…" The awakened being did not think much of the gust of wind until it noticed something lying on the ground.

"My arm… how did it… who did it!" The awakened being screamed as it realized that its right arm was lying on the ground. Looking at its right side, where the gust of wind came from, the awakened being searched for the source of that mysterious attack.

Quite a distance away stood a lone figure. Arms by her side, looking straight at the awakened being. Another Claymore had arrived. _When did she arrive? Why didn't I sense her presence? Except for the moment where that sudden gust of wind blew, I couldn't sense any other yoki other than from myself and that awakened being. Is she a single digit? _Annthea thought to herself. Then she saw the face of that lone figure, the beautiful face of a girl who was at most 17 years of age, her shoulder length hair was tied up neatly into a ponytail. Yet, Annthea felt fear when she saw the girl. There wasn't a hint of emotion on the girl's face, her eyes looked cold and murderous.

"Who are you?" The awakened being demanded. "Just how did you cut my arm off from that distance? There is no way you could… arrgghhh!!!" The awakened being screamed as its right leg was sliced off without warning, causing it to fall to the ground immediately.

_That young lady did that? No way, she's at most 18. _Annthea just couldn't believe her eyes. _Just when did that girl draw her sword? But wait, there's too much distance between her and the enemy. Even if she can draw her sword in the blink of an eye, her sword shouldn't be able to reach that monster!_

The young Claymore slowly walked towards the fallen awakened being. Her cold and unfeeling eyes firmly fixed on the enemy ahead. The young warrior clearly had no intention of sparing the awakened being.

"No wait! Wait a minute!" the awakened being shouted frantically. "There's no need to kill me, right? Surely that's not the way to treat your senior, isn't it? I'll leave this town right away! So spare my life, please!"

"Pathetic," The young Claymore said to herself, "Absolutely pathetic," A strong gust of wind blew past the awakened being. The awakened being never moved and spoke from that point on, for its head had been cleanly sliced off.

"The job is done," the young Claymore told the terrified innkeeper, who witnessed the entire incident, miraculously unhurt. "A man in black will collect the fee for one voracious eater. Tell your mayor its not going to be cheap."

The innkeeper just stared at the young Claymore, too scared to even make a sound. He was clearly shocked at what had happened in front of him. The one that the innkeeper feared wasn't the awakened being, but the young Claymore who only minutes ago displayed strength of monstrous proportions.

The young Claymore walked up to Annthea. Without saying anything, she just stretched out her hands to her.

"You sure came earlier than expected," Annthea said faintly, still unable to comprehend what just happened. "I was expecting you to arrive next week. And the way you killed that monster, just who are you? I've never seen anyone kill an awakened being so easily. And just how old are you?"

"We're leaving," the young Claymore glanced towards the east, totally ignoring Annthea's thousand and one questions.

"Wait, how about Bernice? We can't just leave her body there, right?" Annthea looked at Bernice's lifeless body, all the time wondering if her young comrade had actually heard what she was saying.

"Leave it. Your handler will take care of it," The young Claymore gave Annthea a thug, and helped Annthea to her feet as she spoke. Strapping Annthea's arms over her shoulders, the young Claymore placed her left arm under Annthea's legs and picked her up. The town people watched silently as the young Claymore carried Annthea and made her way out of the town and towards the forest east of it. The lonely silhouettes of the two Claymores soon vanished within the dark shadows of the forest.

_**End of Chapter 03**_

Here's another chapter for you all. This is a pretty standard chapter, but the story will definitely get more interesting one or two chapters later.. Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Of course, I would appreciate your comments. Please feel free to give me any advice or comments. I would love to hear how I can improve my writing. This is my first ever fanfic afterall.

Once again, thanks for reading!


	4. Premonition of Danger

**Silvered Assassin**

**Chapter 04: Premonition of Danger**

"Aww… how sweet of you to carry an injured comrade to safety. Never expected you to display such an act of kindness," a sarcastic voice came out from behind the trees. A man dressed in a black coat stepped out.

"She's injured badly. Thought you could be of some help," Charlene replied, her calm and monotonous tone hiding the fact that she was irritated by what had just been spoken to her.

"Oh boy, I'm flattered. You must really think highly of my skills to bring such a bloody mess to me," the man continued with his sarcastic tone. "Let's see, I might be able to do something."

Charlene carefully placed Annthea to the ground, scanning the surrounding area at the same time.

"I've sent her on a mission," the man gave Charlene the answer even before she had the chance to ask him. "The region you and Rachel are in charged of have quite a few requests ever since the both of you were assigned this mission. You'll need to head back straight away. I've a few missions assigned to you also. By the way, impressive work back there. You made it look easy."

"It only worked because it was a sneak attack. I'll make my move now, Ruben," Charlene began walking west, towards the region she was assigned to. The journey would probably take her up to a week.

"Hey, young lady. My name's Annthea, the organization's 13th strongest warrior. Care to introduce yourself?" Annthea shouted out to Charlene, hoping that she will actually get a proper response this time.

"Charlene... No.2... Nice to meet you," the young Claymore answered, not looking at Annthea even once, her eyes firmly looking straight ahead.

"See you later, Charlene. Don't die before that, ok?" Ruben bade farewell to his young charge.

"Not before you…," Charlene swore that she would have popped the old man's head off if she was allowed to then.

"Ahh… we'll see 'bout that," Ruben replied with a smile before reverting his attention back to the injured Annthea, "Now, what shall we do with you, Annthea?"

--Section Divider--

Months later, in the city of Staff, home of the Organization. Situated in the barren lands of the east, the city of Staff seemed like a huge fortress, with unwelcoming walls that are fully capable of withstanding attacks by several awakened beings. Right at the center of this intimidating city stood a building with a dome shaped roof. Situated inside the building was the Organization's main hall.

Inside the main hall, seven elders could be seen at the front. Sitting down on tall chairs on a slightly elevated ground, the seven elders were the chief decision makers of the Organization. Before them were the several handlers – all dressed in black. Seated right at the center was the chief of the Organization, Haides.

"How is her progress, Ruben?" Gethen, the youngest among all the seven elders, spoke up first. The seven elders were all eager to know about Charlene's performance on the field. "Has she been giving you any problems?"

"Hmm… She's doing fine," Ruben replied with a nonchalant look on his face, knowing well that his answer wasn't exactly the best one.

"Fine? I've heard rumors she's been running wild lately. I do hope we're wrong," Another one of the elders, Orpheus, spoke up. He was not satisfied with the answer he just heard. It was, after all, common knowledge that Charlene was quite a rebellious one. Listening to instructions weren't exactly her forte. Besides, almost everyone in the Organization feared Charlene; the incident where she killed her trainer was still not forgotten.

"I think we'll just leave it as it is. Take note of both Charlene's and Rachel's behavior. They're both very talented, after all," Haides intervened before the situation got tenser. Even among the Organization, opinions differ greatly. Haides did not want the meeting to turn into a debate.

"Makedon, have Magdalene watch over Charlene. It's only a matter of time before Charlene reaches the rank of No.1. She's a very important asset," Haides instructed. He was eager to get over this topic, for there was an even more pressing issue to discuss. "I believe it has come to everyone's attention that the west has seen a sharp rise in attacks, and quite a number of our warriors have perished. The number of awakened being sightings have been startling too. I'll like to hear your opinions."

"Reports from our scouts indicate activity from Mathilde, but her actions seems to be in response to the recent activities in the west," Vadim broke the brief silence in the room. "They just could not find anything else that could lead us to the cause of increased activities."

"Could not find anything else?" Ruben showing a mildly amused expression, "Doesn't look good, eh?"

"What's with that attitude of yours? You look like this doesn't concern you at all," Vadim snapped at Ruben, upset at his fellow handler's lack of seriousness.

"What 'bout my attitude, Vadim? Perhaps you would want to cool down a little," Ruben shot back, unimpressed at Vadim's sudden outburst, "Nothing's going to happen if you just jump and panic at every little problem."

"That's enough," Orpheus deciding to stop the little scuffle, "All we can do now is to quietly observe the situation. Instruct our warriors to be doubly careful and to report back if they discover anything unusual."

"Perhaps we should assign more warriors to the west," Gethen suggested, "Regions closer to the north are sparsely populated; maybe we can have some warriors there moved to the west."

"That will leave some regions without any warrior assigned to it," Makedon objecting to Gethen's suggestion, "Besides, we're already moving Magdalene to the west to keep an eye on Charlene. The west should be able to cope with the Organization's top two warriors stationed there."

"Each region should have at least one warrior assigned there," Orpheus adding weight to Makedon's objection, "The only reason why some western regions can have two warriors assigned to them is because of the five northern regions that were destroyed 200 years ago. Since we have 47 warriors taking care of 42 regions, we can afford to have two warriors assigned to the richer western regions. As of now, we cannot transfer anymore warriors to the west."

"Fine, the distribution of our warriors will remain as it is," Haides made a quick decision, not wanting to drag the meeting any longer, "Do anyone of you have anything else to bring up?"

All the handlers remained silent, indicating that they had nothing more to say.

"Alright, that's it for today. You may all return to your individual duties," Haides dismissing the meeting. Slumping back on his chair, the Chief had a look of concern on his face. He sensed something sinister was on the move, and his gut feeling told him it was from within the Organization.

"What's wrong, Chief?" Gethen was clearly concerned about Haides' troubled look.

"Oh… nothing. I'm just concerned about the west," Haides replied, surprised that Gethen was still in the main hall.

"You shouldn't stress yourself too much, you know," Gethen smiled, "I believe the enemy will reveal itself very soon."

--Section Divider--

"Whoa… this city sure looks huge. I can see those huge walls even from such a far distance. Looks like an interesting place, huh?" Rachel nudged Charlene's left arm excitedly. Rachel had good reasons to be fascinated. Before them stood a large city, with towering walls around it. Countless soldiers could be seen patrolling along the walls. Even if the human population has advanced greatly during the last 200 years, huge cities are still pretty rare. Most cities that emerged during the last century are probably only half the size of Rabona.

"Do you really need me to accompany you?" Charlene tried her hardest to dampen Rachel's spirits. "It's not like you can't handle one single yoma yourself."

"Come on… don't be a spoilsport. Besides, you're here to explore the city with me. I don't need you for the yoma hunt," Rachel replied cheekily, an answer Charlene expected. She had heard it countless times. Whenever either of them received a job in a huge city or famous location, Rachel would treat it like an excursion trip, and the mission assigned to them would suddenly turn into the minor side trip. It's not like Charlene could refuse her; Rachel has been her one and only friend ever since she entered the organization. In fact, Rachel was like an elder sister to Charlene.

But it's different this time. Charlene had good reasons to hate this city. Standing in front of the two Claymores was the great city of Agartha. Unfortunately, while Charlene could easily reject just about everybody she sees, Rachel happened to be the one person she didn't want to disappoint. After all, Rachel was the one who brought color to Charlene's life.

"Please proceed. The King has been waiting for your arrival," the soldier directed the two Claymores to a carriage nearby, flanked by heavily armed cavalry on both sides. As expected, the great city of Agartha was well prepared for the arrival of the warriors. Everything was well planned. The streets were cleared and empty to ensure the warriors were transported to the palace without any delays.

"What's with that look, Charlene?" Rachel pressed her face as close as possible to Charlene. She had expected her younger companion to look more amazed at the treatment they were receiving, but Charlene had that same lack of expression on her face.

"Come on, don't look so dull. You're from Agartha, aren't you? I would be excited if I get to return to me hometown. Anyway, I'd expect you to bring me around the city. I heard that Agartha has the largest harbor on the continent; you'll bring me there right? Oh, Agartha is famous for its seafood right? What's your recommendation…?" Rachel continued on her endless chatter, keeping quiet was not part of her programming. "Hey, are you listening to me? You've got to bring me to that famous tower. I heard the view's REALLY good there…"

Charlene did not pay much attention Rachel's constant babbling. Her mind was fixed on something else. _Something's wrong. Every part of my body is warning me. I can't sense it, but there is something here. It's not the yoma, I can sense its presence easily. It's just a weakling. There is something else… and I don't like it…_

_**End of Chapter 04**_

Well, this chapter is basically a build up for future chapters, so it's not the most exciting chapter, but it is essential for my story. I also explained an assumption I've made regarding the distribution of the Claymores on the continent. No action in this chapter, but I promise there will be plenty of it soon. And thanks to those who gave me their comments, I really appreciate it. Same as always, please give me your valuable comments and advice.

Thanks for reading!


	5. Wind of the Phantom

**Silvered Assassin**

**Chapter 05: Wind of the Phantom**

The main hall of Agartha's palace was a magnificent sight. The entrance itself was adorned with countless rubies, a clear indication of the wealth Agartha possessed. The main hall was even more extravagant. Several pillars supported the main hall's high ceiling. The floor was made of marble, and everything in the main hall was either made of gold or adorned with precious jewels of all kinds. Right at the end of the hall was the throne where the King was seated. It had a high back and huge arm rests, decorated with countless jewels and rubies.

Rachel was astounded when she entered the hall. She had never seen such a grand sight before, not even when she was still human. The dumbstruck girl just remained silent in awe. Rachel was quiet for once, which in itself was an extremely rare occurrence.

Apart from the King himself, there were fourteen men in the main hall, standing in two lines of seven. Those men were members of Agartha's senate, which consisted of seven elders and seven generals. Among the faces present was Alden, the man who helped Charlene escaped. Charlene was surprised that he managed to be the city's elder. She quickly focused her attention to the generals, and she saw the man she had hated all these years – Argo Zeeman. Charlene had regarded Argo as the one responsible for Daegmund's death, but she did not make any attempt to take Argo's life. Charlene just listened to the King's words calmly.

Fortunately for Charlene, the meeting with the King was a quick affair, and the two Claymores were soon out in the streets of Agartha. Rachel had regained her bubbly personality by then, exploring the city with much zeal. The yoma was obviously none of her concern.

"Shouldn't you be hunting down the yoma? It's not like you can't detect it," Charlene trying her hardest to remind Rachel of her actual job.

"Nah… that yoma is now idling near the fountain we passed an hour ago," Rachel casually remarked, "If I remember correctly, the last victim was killed yesterday morning, just before we arrived. That weak yoma should not be feeding within the next few days, so we have plenty of time."

"Fine, you win," Charlene gave up on trying to dissuade Rachel from her sightseeing tour. Besides, Charlene knew the yoma wasn't much of a threat. It wasn't even strong enough to detect Rachel's presence. One of Rachel's abilities was to detect yoki from an extremely far distance, and she could not be wrong about the yoma. Of the 47 Claymores, Rachel probably had the second biggest range.

--Section Divider—

It was early morning as the two Claymores stepped out of the inn. Rachel was ready to commence the yoma hunt after spending the previous day exploring the city of Agartha. She slowly approached the city's main square. The main square was where merchants from all over the continent would gather. The majority of trading was done there. It was still early, and the main square was empty except for a few zealous traders.

"Good morning, my friend," Having identified the yoma long ago, Rachel smiled cheekily at one of the traders, "I'm Rachel. What's yours?"

Despite being right in front of the yoma, the cheeky smile Rachel had never disappeared. She was not worried at having to face such a weak yoma. Rachel then reached out for her sword as she prepared to slay the yoma.

Realizing that its attempt to mask its presence was unsuccessful, the trader quickly transformed. Its skin turned a pale green and its fingers extended, revealing long and sharp claws. The clothes the yoma was wearing were ripped as it started to increase in size. Knowing that Rachel was stronger than it is, the yoma reached out for a nearby trader, hoping to use him as a shield.

A blur flew past the yoma as it was reaching out to take a hostage. Rachel was standing behind the yoma by then, her sword covered with stains of red. Lying on the ground was the yoma's right arm, cleanly sliced off by Rachel.

"Argh! You bitch! How did you do that?" the yoma shouted in pain, clearly unable to deal with Rachel's speed.

"Hmph… I've never seen such a weak yoma before. You must be pretty young to be so weak," Rachel then dashed towards the yoma, aiming to cleave her opponent in half. She did not even bothered to release her powers.

"What! Rushing in like that? You're not any better!" the yoma laughed at Rachel's direct approach, and lunged forward, hoping to catch Rachel with its sharp claws. In a split second, Rachel disappeared from the yoma's line of sight. Before the yoma knew it, Rachel was behind it. Without any delay, Rachel raised her sword and swung down towards the yoma's head. The yoma had no chance at all as Rachel cut the yoma in half from its head down.

"Hmm… my clothes are dirty. Guess I'll have Ruben bring me a new set," Rachel looked at her blood stained clothes. The yoma's blood splashed onto her when Rachel sent her sword straight down on its head

The joy of victory only lasted for a few seconds though. Rachel had spotted something suspicious at the corner of her eyes. Charlene's eyes were already fixed on that unknown figure. The mysterious figure must be a human, for no yoki was detected from it. With the face and body covered by a cloak, you couldn't tell if that person was male or female. The only certain thing was that this particular person was no ordinary human.

Charlene had noticed the mysterious stranger following them since morning. It took her quite a while since she did not detect any yoki other from Rachel and the yoma that was just killed. But Charlene felt something warning her about the approaching figure. She couldn't understand why she would be wary of a mere human being. After all, humans can never defeat someone who is half human and half yoma, no matter how hard they try.

The boots worn by the stranger made a familiar sound as they strike the ground with every footstep. _They look too similar to our boots. _Charlene thought. The uneasy feeling Charlene had all the time was getter stronger. Then it hit her. _I finally understand._ _That feeling I had all this time isn't the presence of yoki. It's the feeling that someone is masking her yoki so well that nobody can detect it. And this mysterious person has been watching us all along. Could that person be one of us? A renegade warrior? What business does she have with us?_

Walking up to Charlene, the unknown stranger removed her cape, revealing her face, and a pair of silver eyes. It was the face of fine lady, probably in her early twenties. Her facial features were sharp and refined, and her flowing hair extended beyond her shoulders and into the cloak. Behind her was a long, pole like object – the hilt of her weapon. Standing before Charlene, the Claymore smiled sinisterly, the kind of smile Charlene had always hated.

"Adena," the unknown Claymore spoke in a relaxed manner, "That's my name. What's yours, young lady? And how old are you?"

"Charlene, 17," was the short and typical answer given. Charlene was never known to speak much, and she wasn't intending to break that habit for a complete stranger.

"The organization must really be desperate, sending young girls like you out into the battlefield. Guess I'll test you a little," laughing to herself, Adena launched herself towards Charlene without any delay.

Charlene was taken by surprise by that sudden attack, but the Organization's No.2 wasn't going to be defeated so easily. Keeping track of Adena's movements, Charlene waited until the last moment before making a leap to her left. Adena's downward swing barely missed her target, but she was not done yet. Using her left leg as a pivot, Adena skillfully switched her direction and swung her sword to her right. Again, it was not an attack Charlene couldn't avoid, and she easily dodged the attack, jumping backwards before landing a few meters back.

_Damn it. She's fast; and she releases very little of her yoki too. I can barely read her movements. _Charlene thought to herself as she dodged Adena's attack one after another.

Unknown to many, Charlene was adept at reading her opponents' yoki, allowing her to predict their movements. It was a skill she forced herself to learn when she learnt of this technique's existence a few years ago. And Charlene was using that skill to predict Adena's movements.

Adena continued to attack Charlene, using her speed to try to find a hole in Charlene's defenses. But each time Adena attacked, Charlene was able to predict her movement and dodge accordingly. Charlene's prediction of Adena's movement was so accurate that she did not even draw her swords. She just used her agility to avoid being cut. However, Charlene could tell that Adena wasn't putting much effort in her attacks.

"Not bad. You're quick. I presume you were reading my yoki flow and predicted my movements, right? Your actions tell me you were fully prepared for my attacks, which is quite impossible considering my speed," Adena gave Charlene a bit of a shock by accurately analyzing her abilities just by that brief exchange, "You're the first warrior I've encountered who can use this amazing ability. But what if I suppress my yoki completely? How will you cope, Charlene? Since you can't predict my movements anymore."

Adena attacked again. But it's different this time round. Charlene felt no yoki flowing in her opponent's body, just like how she couldn't detect her presence until Adena revealed herself. Predicting Adena's movements wasn't possible, and Charlene had to rely purely on her senses. Charlene had always been proud of her ability to sneak up on her enemies without being detected, and she wasn't enjoying being given a taste of her own medicine by Adena.

Drawing her sword, Charlene blocked a powerful strike from Adena. She then jumped to Adena's left, hoping to disappear from Adena's line of sight for a brief moment. Twirling her body in a clockwise direction, Charlene swung her sword at Adena. It all happened in a split second, but Adena saw through the attack. She ducked down, avoiding Charlene's sword, before swinging her claymore to her left.

"You're open," Adena remarked, her sword about to strike Charlene's left side.

Seeing that the sword on her right hand would not make it in time to block Adena's strike, Charlene's left hand reached out for the bottom of her sword's sheath. Pulling out another sword from there, Charlene managed to deflect Adena's attack. In Charlene's arms were two swords, the one held in her right hand the longer of the two. She wasn't using the standard claymore that all warriors use. In her hands were the twin swords used by her dead master.

"Unbelievable. I thought your sword was weird enough, but that you actually wield two swords. I'm quite surprised the Organization actually allows you to use these swords," Adena was more fascinated than surprised at Charlene's non standard weapons.

Jumping backwards to create some distance between themselves, Adena looked like she was having fun, "You're good, capable of fighting without releasing your powers. You must be that girl I've heard about. The one said to possess a power so great, even the Organization is afraid of her. The one they call 'Phantom Blade'."

"You're pretty knowledgeable," Charlene commended, "Just who are you? And what do you want from me?"

"Didn't I say it before? I'm here to test you," Adena grinned, "You better not fail this test, since failure means death for you. Release your powers, Charlene, you'll need to."

"You seem confident in your abilities," Charlene not fazed at what she had just heard, "Perhaps I should remind you that it's two on one here."

Rachel had gone behind Adena by that time, her claymore pointing towards her enemy, ready to strike down Adena at any moment.

"Two on one?" Before anyone could react, Adena suddenly disappeared from sight. By the time Rachel realized it, Adena was behind her, her sword raised above her own head, ready to swing it down on Rachel at any moment.

There was no time. Rachel had only one option. Adena's sword was soon brought down with frightening speed and power. But Adena's strike had missed Rachel narrowly, her sword hitting slightly right to where she had originally aimed at.

_Did she just changed my blade's trajectory?_ Adena was certain her aim was correct, but she felt as if her movements had been slightly altered against her will.

Adena then jumped to her right immediately as she felt yoki rushing towards her. To Adena's surprise, Charlene was still standing in the same spot. Charlene did not move from her position during the last attack. Adena thought Charlene was rushing towards her when she felt the rush of yoki. Taking a quick glance behind her, Adena noticed to her surprise that the stone wall behind her had a deep, vertical cut on it.

Adena then saw a shadow appearing at where she was standing. Looking up, she saw that Charlene was already above her, ready to attack again. Feeling a huge current of air blowing down on her, Adena skipped to her left. Once again, Charlene did not close in on Adena; she just swung her sword from a distance. The distance was certainly too large for either of Charlene's sword to make contact with Adena. Looking to her right, Adena saw that the stone path she was standing on just seconds ago had been reduced to rubble. Adena was extremely skillful to have dodged Charlene's attacks. It may not look like it, but the two instances when Charlene attacked took only a few seconds. Adena could have died without knowing what had hit her.

"Not bad," Adena commented as she shook off the dust on her cloak, "Now I know why you are called 'Phantom Blade'. An ability that allows the user to slice through the enemy from a distance without having the blade physically touching its target. Since this attack has no physical from, you can only dodge it, since blocking something that has no physical from is impossible. Quite a deadly technique you've created, Charlene. I'm actually quite curious to know how that technique of yours works. And the speed at which you draw and swing your swords is extremely impressive. Normal eyes will be unable to follow your strokes."

"Then you should know that you can never defeat me," Charlene was once again surprised at how Adena was able to analyze her skills in such a short time, "You might want to consider running away, Adena."

"Hmm… let's see… one can read my yoki and possesses a devastating attack that cannot be seen or blocked," Adena spoke to herself, her relaxed expression showing her confidence, "The other have the ability to slightly manipulate my movements. No choice then, guess I'll have to get serious."

At that very moment, Adena let out a blast of yoki, her eyes turning gold due to the release of energy. The blast of yoki forced the surrounding air to push outwards, causing a strong wind to blow against Charlene and Rachel. Dust and debris were flying about wildly, reducing visibility drastically. Charlene couldn't believe what she was witnessing. She had never seen such a great leap in power before. The yoki that Adena was radiating was insane, and seemed too similar to the kind of power awakened beings are capable of.

Without wasting any time, Adena started to move around Charlene and Rachel in circles. With their backs against each other, the two warriors waited for Adena to start her attack. But Adena was too fast. It's as if her speed just went off the scale with the chaotic yoki release earlier. All Charlene could see was something blurry moving around. Adena was so fast that Charlene couldn't find any decent attack opportunities. Apart from blocking occasional strikes from Adena, the two girls could do nothing at all.

"I seem to be much faster, isn't it?" Adena was obviously gloating over her opponents' inability to cope, "But the truth is, my speed has changed one bit."

"That's bullshit! Anyone can see that your speed has increased!" Rachel retorted, her body already shaking due to the massive amount of yoki in the air.

"Hmph…" Adena let out a soft chuckle, seemingly enjoying herself while her two opponents suffered, "You can have all the best techniques in the world, but all the techniques you have will amount to nothing if you do not even have the speed to catch up with your opponent. That's why I strive to have as much speed as possible."

Moving towards Charlene, Adena made a half hearted attempt to cut Charlene, but was easily blocked. Adena just laughed and continued to circle around Charlene and Rachel.

Adena then continued with what she wanted to say, "However, I soon realized that there's a limit to how fast I can go. It took me some time, but I finally devised a way to go around such a limitation. If I can't go any faster, I'll just have to make it look like I've gone faster. The easiest way to do that is to disorientate the enemy. Once your senses go haywire, your speed and reaction time go down. Your strength slowly decreases until you are just a sitting target for your enemy."

"Damn it! What cheap tricks are you using?" Rachel demanded.

"Nothing elaborate really. I just jammed your surroundings and body with so much yoki that your own yoki flow is disrupted. Just like how blood flows in a certain direction, your yoki's flow is fixed too. Once I disturb that flow, your body will be unable to cope with such a sudden change. Your strength starts to fail you and your senses grow dull," Adena look pleased as Rachel seemed to be losing her cool.

Charlene was growing tired of Adena's constant teasing of them. But there was nothing she could do. She wasn't fast enough to attack Adena, and she could not use her phantom blade carelessly. If she misses her target, Charlene might accidentally kill an innocent onlooker since her attack cannot be stopped once it is released. The worst thing was that Charlene was starting to feel weak. It was as if her energy was being drained away.

Seeing that her opponents were getting weaker, Adena mocked them further, "Feeling weak? Forget about using your repertoire of techniques, you girls can't even walk in a straight line now. Come to think about it, this is much better than just controlling your enemy's movements. You can't even use any of your yoki now. The moment this technique hits, whatever strength and abilities you have become inconsequential."

"Rachel, we have to get out of here somehow," Charlene struggled to even speak properly, Adena's technique taking its toll on her body. But Rachel was on her knees by then, too weak to do anything else.

"Why don't I end your suffering now?" With a quick movement, Adena ran up to Rachel's side. Before she could even react, Rachel found her herself flying in the air as Adena kicked her right in the chest.

With her last remaining strength, Rachel raised her right arm and attempted to slash her fast advancing enemy's body. But instead of slashing Adena, Rachel found her intended swing stopped by a firm grip to her right arm. With her opponent's sword arm unable to move, Adena made a cross strike, aiming to slice off her opponent's arm with that move. Rachel could only scream in pain as her right arm was sliced off from her shoulder.

"Rachel!" Charlene tried her very best to go to Rachel's side, but the effect of Adena's disorientation technique was slowing her down.

Another downward strike and Adena was done. Inflicting a deep cut onto Rachel's chest, Adena had effectively taken care of her.

"Damn it! You'll pay for this!" Rushing towards her enemy, Charlene released as much power as she could. But she had no control over her yoki, Adena's technique clearly taking its toll on Charlene's body. Before Charlene knew it, Adena's sword had pierced through her abdomen.

"You've got great potential. Superb techniques, good yoki control, and a calm fighter. You can't ask for more. But it's your misfortune to have met me today. Looks like I'm the superior warrior," Adena stood triumphantly beside the fallen Charlene, "Unfortunately, I don't have the patience to wait for a few years before you reach your full potential. So apologies, my young warrior. Looks like you've failed to test."

Raising her sword, Adena was about to bring her sword down on Charlene when she sensed someone else approaching them.

"Hmm… looks like someone troublesome has arrived. Very well, it's your lucky day today. Till we meet again, Charlene," Putting back her sword, Adena left as soon as she came, vanishing as if she was never there at all.

Looking to her right, Charlene saw the figure of another warrior, "Magdalene…"

_**End of Chapter 05**_

**Note:****Correct me if I'm wrong, but the purple blood is an anime only thing right? That's why I decided that the color of yoma's blood is red. If they really have purple blood, then all humans have to do is to prick anyone who enters the city. Purple blood means yoma. Therefore, yomas in this fanfic have ****red**** blood.**

**Whew… my longest chapter so far. Quite a lot of fighting too. This chapter is where the real story starts as the previous chapters were sort of introductory. Hope I described the fighting scene well. Do give me your valuable comments and advice, especially on the fight scene. Hope this chapter is enjoyable!**


	6. Opinions Divided

**Silvered Assassin**

**Chapter 06: Opinions Divided**

"Hey, what's your name? Why are you sitting here alone?"

"Hmm… what's wrong with you? Are you feeling ok? It's that painful operation isn't it? Don't worry, the pain will only last a year or two."

"Huh? Are you even listening to me?"

"Hello… can you speak?"

"Stop looking at the ground."

"What's with your face? You can try smiling a bit? Or is your face having cramps?"

"Come on… I'm poking your face right now… at least look angry or something…"

"Oh? There's no need to hold on to my hand so tightly right? Let go of it already… hey! What are you doing! Gah!"

A loud thud could be heard as the girl suddenly jumped on Rachel and pushed her to the floor. Landing on top of her, the girl placed both her palms on Rachel's neck and started to grip it tightly.

"Urgh… let go of my neck…" Rachel was barely able to force those words out, but the girl tightened her grip instead of letting go. Her eyes were staring straight at Rachel, displaying the girl's clear intention to strangle her victim.

But Rachel wasn't panicking. Her face showed no signs of distress, only showing some signs of discomfort. Then the young girl felt a strong grip on her arms. Rachel had grabbed hold of the girl's arms. Feeling pain from it, the girl loosened her grip due to the pain. Before she knew it, Rachel was on top of her, holding on to her hands to make sure she couldn't move.

"Do you really think you can fight me? Just to let you know, I received my operation two years ago. My body has already adjusted to the effects of the operation. There's no way you can overpower me," Placing her mouth close to the girl's ears, Rachel made sure she understood what was just spoken.

The girl soon stopped her struggling, fully aware that she could not win against someone who was already half yoma.

"Hey, stop acting like this, okay?" Stretching out her hands, Rachel offered to help the girl up.

"I know it tough to be here. You probably had some traumatic experience before arriving at this horrible place. But everyone here is in the same situation as you. Stop acting like a spoilt kid. Mix around with everyone. The others won't be so afraid of you if you actually try to loosen yourself up, you know," Standing almost a head shorter, the young girl could only watch silently as Rachel continued her little speech.

"Huh…"

"Gosh!" Rachel slapped her forehead, unable to believe what she just heard, "After all that I've said, all I get from you is a 'huh'? What's wrong with you?"

Placing her arms on the girl's shoulders, Rachel shook the girl forward and backward, hoping to knock some sense into her.

"What's your name, little sis?" Rachel asked after she got no response from the dazzled girl.

"Charlene… eleven…" For the first time ever, Charlene actually provided more than what was asked of her.

"Eleven? That means I'm two years older. Great! I get to be the older sister," tapping her junior's head, Rachel seemed happy to declare Charlene her younger sister without asking for her opinion, "My name's Rachel."

"Ra… chel…" the young girl spoke slowly, the initial aggression she had towards Rachel was gone by then. She felt an unusual sense of warmth from Rachel, a feeling she thought was long gone ever since she entered the Organization.

"Yup… that's my name. Just ignore what those black coats say about you. No one's a monster here, okay?" Waving her hands, Rachel then walked away.

"Trainee number 87, what are you doing? You're late!" one of the instructors shouted at Rachel as she ran over to him.

"I'm not!" Rachel retorted, "Ouch! Stop hitting me! You're the meanest person I've ever seen! Hey! Ouch!"

Charlene just kept quiet, her mind going through what had just happened earlier. For the first time since she entered the Organization, Charlene felt warm in her heart. Looking at Rachel, a soft smile appeared on her face…

--Section Divider—

"Urgh… where am I? Rachel… Rachel!" Charlene jolted from her bed, grimacing as a sharp pain shot through her wounded abdomen.

"Stop moving, your abdomen wound looks pretty serious. You should concentrate on healing it right now," a lady seated on a chair spoke out, her sweet voice not the most authoritative voice you can hear. But any warrior who recognized that voice wouldn't dare go against it.

Charlene, too weak to get off the bed, slumped back down. Tilting her head to her right, Charlene could see Rachel on another bed, unconscious.

"Don't worry. She's a defensive type. Her wounds are definitely serious, but she will recover. Once Rachel regains consciousness, she can probably regenerate her arm in less than a day," the lady assured Charlene.

"Magdalene? What's the Organization's top warrior doing here?" Charlene wasn't expecting to see the Organization's top warrior in Agartha. Magdalene would usually be posted at a region slightly north of Staff to make sure that she could get back to the Organization's headquarters as quickly as possible should the need arise.

"You're as direct as always. Not even a word of thanks. Anyway, you should just…" before she could go on, Magdalene was interrupted by Charlene.

"Thanks…"

"Yeah… you're welcome," Magdalene was pretty amused at Charlene's sudden but insincere gratitude, "But don't misunderstand. I only saved you because I was tasked to watch over you."

"Anyway, just concentrate on healing your wounds. We'll be staying here until I receive further instructions from the Organization," Magdalene continued from where she had stopped.

"Instructions? What instructions?" Charlene asked.

"Sigh… you should realize that the Organization fear you more than anything else. The council has been looking for every opportunity to dispose of you ever since you killed that trainer. The only reason you're still alive today is because the Chief protected you. Now that you've been attacked in a place where you weren't supposed to be in, the other six elders of the council are using this opportunity to get rid of you," Magdalene explained, her serious tone indicating the severity of the problem.

"Hasn't it always been like that? I'm used to it," Charlene brushed aside what had just been spoken to her.

"But there's a limit to how long the Chief can protect you," Magdalene reasoned, trying to get her idea across to Charlene, "You need to show your loyalty to the Organization, Charlene. That attitude of yours is only going to make those black coats hate you more. I don't know about you, but I certainly want to live past the age of thirty-five. I heard Julia was allowed to retire at that age, though she is probably the only retired warrior we know of."

"You sure are lucky. I heard that most of us last six to seven years on average," Charlene shifted her position slightly and looked away from Magdalene, hinting that she did not want to continue with the conversation.

"Just lay low and act obedient for the mean time, Charlene. I will appreciate if you would save me the trouble of staining my sword with your blood," with that last piece of advice, Magdalene closed her eyes and took a rest, not saying a word more.

The two warriors remained silent for the rest of the day. Charlene couldn't think of anything to say, and she wasn't too fond of speaking too much either. She just stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. _Maybe I'm being selfish. Maybe I've failed to consider how others might feel. But I can't imagine myself being obedient to the Organization. I can't stop myself from hating the Organization. And most importantly, I can't stop myself from hating myself…_

--Section Divider—

"What is it, Orpheus?" Haides was resting in his room when he noticed Orpheus approaching him, "Are you here to make fun of me?"

"You should know what I'm going to ask you," Orpheus stood at the room's window and looked out, not looking at Haides even once.

"What do you suggest, Orpheus? I seriously find nothing wrong with Charlene being attacked by a suspected renegade warrior. You people are the ones making a big fuss about her being in Agartha," Haides shot the question back at Orpheus.

"So you're still protecting that monster?" Orpheus questioned again, "You should know that she cannot be controlled. Sooner or later, she will go against us, regardless of whether she awakens or not. She's too rebellious, and too smart. We will be ruined by her. Now is our best chance to get rid of her."

"I had expected you to know better. The balance has been broken ever since Mathilde awakened. This continent has no place for a fourth Abyssal Being. Charlene is the power we need to tip the scales in our favor. There's no other way. The potential she possesses is phenomenal," Haides countered with a low but firm voice.

"That power you admire is going to destroy us, Haides!" Losing his temper, Orpheus slammed his hands on the table, "There is no need to preserve a tool that cannot be used! Dispose of it before it's too late, Haides!"

"Enough!" the normally reserved Haides suddenly raised his voice, "I shall hear no more of this. Charlene will still be an integral part of the Organization. I have sent Ruben to lecture her. No further actions will be taken against her. If you have the time to argue with me, spend some of it to investigate the one who attacked Charlene."

"You'll regret this decision, Haides!" With that, Orpheus stormed out of the room.

Haides watched with cold eyes as Orpheus left the room, "Hpmh… you better not go against me, Orpheus. I'll show no mercy if you do that…"

--Section Divider—

"Over here," a man hiding in the shadows called out to Adena as she entered a forest east of Agartha.

"There you are. I was wondering if you would show up at all," walking to a stream nearby, Adena cupped the water with her hands and splashed some water on her face.

"Why didn't you finish her off?" The man in the shadows asked without delay.

"Magdalene was there. I don't intend on dying young," Adena replied as she washed her face.

"You failed miserably if that was supposed to be a joke. You know very well that Magdalene is no match for you," the man was not convinced at Adena's explanation, and his tone indicated his displeasure.

"I think you overestimated me. I was lucky that Charlene did not release her yoki during that fight. If she had released her power earlier, that ability of mine would not have worked, since she had more yoki than me. It will be more dangerous for me to fight Magdalene straight after my battle with Charlene," Adena said as she glared at the man.

"Anyway, get rid of Charlene soon. She will become too dangerous to us in the future. And kill Magdalene if you have the chance. The fewer enemies, the better," finished with what he wanted to say, the man soon disappeared into the shadows as he left Adena behind.

"Yeah… don't worry. I'll kill them for sure," sticking the tip of her blade into the ground, Adena leaned against her huge claymore. Closing her eyes to rest, a soft grin appeared on Adena's face as she thought of the assignment given to her.

_**End of Chapter 06**_

**Well… a short and dialogue heavy chapter without any action. This is an important chapter though. It explains how Charlene met Rachel, and we get to know how the Organization on the whole thinks of Charlene. Of course, it doesn't hurt to catch a glimpse of the no.1 Claymore.**

**Please review. I'll like to know how to improve myself.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	7. Quiescence Undone

**Silvered Assassin**

**Chapter 07: Quiescence Undone**

At one corner of the Zeeman residence, two men were talking in secret.

"How is everything going?"

"All is fine, my lord. With the exception of Alden, the elders are all loyal of you. I will get rid of that useless fool very soon. As for the generals, there's no need to worry. I'm the army's commander. The other six generals have pledged loyalty to me long ago."

"Excellent job. You shall be rewarded handsomely once everything is completed. But I have one pressing issue on hand. You are to put this above everything else."

"Your servant is listening, lord Erebus…"

--Section Divider—

Erwin looked at the tray of food he was carrying as he walked up the stairs. He scowled as he recalled what happened the day before. Erwin could not believe that his grandfather would actually allow those kinds of people to stay in the inn. The young man could only curse his own luck as he approached the room where the uninvited guests were staying in.

"Hello… sorry to bother you…" Erwin called, trying his best to sound as friendly as possible, "Your food is here!"

"Heelllooooo… your food is heerreeee…" growing impatient, Erwin deliberately lengthened his words to catch the attention of the room's occupants, "I'm going to leave your food at the door if you're not coming out…"

_I can't believe it! I'm actually being ignored! _Erwin was grumbling to himself in his mind as the door remained shut. _Those monsters better be ready, I'm going to teach them a lesson._

Erwin was about to shout out when the door suddenly swung opened, "Leave it on the table…"

"Err… arh… urm…" The 'lesson' Erwin was intending to give the uninvited guests never came. The young man wouldn't dare to do it, for right in front of him was a frail looking figure, almost as tall as him. What caused Erwin to freeze wasn't her tall and thin figure; nor was it her delicate looking face. It was that cold and murderous gaze from her silver colored eyes.

"What are you looking at, pervert?" Magdalene questioned Erwin with her usual sweet sounding voice. She had been rather bored all day, and was taking the opportunity to tease Erwin a little.

_Who the heck is she? _Numerous thoughts ran through Erwin's mind as he stood motionless at the door. _She's scarier than expected. But more importantly… this freaking silver eyed witch just spoke to me with the sweetest voice I've ever heard! Just what kind of a weird combination is this!? And by the way… did she just call me a pervert? Hmm… a pervert… pervert!?_

"What did you just say!? I'm not a pervert!" Erwin literally jumped off the floor when he realized that he had just been called a pervert.

"You were staring at me. In fact, you are still staring at me," Magdalene replied coolly, enjoying her teasing of the young man.

"Am not! Why would I want to stare at a mon… err… I mean… you…" Erwin's loud shouting was promptly reduced to a soft whimper when he realized that he nearly said something inappropriate.

_Damn… That was too close… I nearly called a monster a monster in front of a monster. _Erwin felt like his heart was going to stop beating at any moment as Magdalene glared at him. The truth was that Magdalene wasn't really particular about being called a monster; she was used to it. She just wanted to scare Erwin and see how he would respond.

"Hmph… whatever… just place the food on the table and get out of here…" Magdalene instructed, sounding as stern as she could.

Erwin made sure he took every step softly, not wanting to make any more unnecessary noise. His hands shaking furiously, Erwin nearly spilled the tray of food as he placed them on the table. Turning around, Erwin was about to make himself scarce when he heard something.

_Clomp… Clomp… Clomp…_

The sound of marching could be heard clearly. Marching down the street, an entire section of soldiers soon stopped in front of the inn. Erwin rushed to the window and looked out. Standing outside of the inn were Agartha's elite foot knights, the personal troops of the army's commanders. These knights were the best foot soldiers anywhere on the continent.

"Looks like that man is finally here," Charlene had already begun to put on her armor by then. By the time the soldiers started to enter the inn, Charlene was done with putting on her armor, though it's not like she had a lot to put on actually.

"What is happening?" Erwin clearly did not understand the situation at all, especially when one of the Claymores sounded like she had expected the soldiers to arrive.

"What's the meaning of this? Do you Claymores know what's happening?" Erwin couldn't believe his luck. First, his grandfather allowed three Claymores to stay inn the inn. The next thing he knew, a whole section of soldiers could be seen just outside of the inn for no apparent reason.

"The young man is right, Charlene? What in the world is happening? Why do you sound like you expected all this?" Magdalene was eager to know what was happening too. Having a bunch of human attackers was the worst kind of situation a Claymore could face. She would rather fight a yoma.

"Erwin!" running to the room where Erwin was in, his sister, Ilse, was panting heavily, "The soldiers… … they're rounding everyone up! The whole place is in a mess now… grandpa… grandpa is hurt!"

"What! Grandpa's hurt? What are those soldiers doing here?" Erwin was shocked at the sudden turn of events. The inn was his family's livelihood and the soldiers' presence would definitely affect business. More importantly, Erwin was unable to accept that his grandfather was hurt in the process.

"Grandpa wasn't happy that the soldiers just barged in and searched the entire inn without his permission," Ilse explained, still trying to catch her breath, "He argued with the soldiers, and was beaten up by one of them. Quick, you've got to help grandpa, he's hurt quite badly!"

But it was all too late. Before Erwin or Ilse could move, the soldiers were already at the entrance of the room. The soldiers pinned Ilse down before she could even react in any way.

"What's the meaning of this, soldiers of Agartha?" walking up towards the soldiers standing in line outside of the room, Magdalene reached for her claymore, hoping to intimidate them with that action.

The knights pointed their swords at the advancing Claymore, their helmets concealing their terrified faces. Even the best human warriors the continent could offer were fearful of someone who was half human and half yoma.

"What are you cowards doing? Enter the room and surround them!" a voice could be heard coming down from the corridor, a voice all too familiar to Charlene. Standing at the end of the corridor was none other than Argo Zeeman, the commander of Agartha's mighty army.

Despite some hesitations, the soldiers eventually surrounded Charlene and Magdalene in a circle, their swords drawn and ready to strike. Surprisingly, the room was large enough to accommodate twenty soldiers standing in a circle, with enough space for two Claymores and a young man in the middle. The unfortunate Erwin was surrounded by the knights before he could do anything.

"Wait a minute! I'm not with them!" Erwin shouted frantically as he pointed his fingers at the Claymores, "Let me out of here! And get your hands off my sister!"

"Silence, young man! My purpose here is to capture a dangerous criminal who escaped from Agartha eight years ago. You will not be harmed in any way as long as you don't interfere with us," Hiding safely behind the soldiers, Argo reassured the infuriated Erwin, though he probably did not think much of the young man's safety.

"What are you trying to say, general?" Magdalene was getting agitated at every passing minute.

"My target is a dangerous criminal who assisted in a treacherous plot to assassinate the King, as well as a cold blooded murderer who took the life of one of our brave soldiers," Argo explained, "I believe she goes by the name of Charlene Amherst, the adopted child of the traitor, Daegmund Amherst."

Magdalene couldn't believe what she heard. She knew Charlene was from Agartha, but she never expected Charlene to be regarded as a criminal. Not when Charlene was just a nine year old girl when she left Agartha.

"What happened to my master?" seemingly unfazed by the situation, Charlene probed Argo on what happened eight years ago.

"Why bother? You should know the answer already. All who betray the King share a similar fate. Only death awaits them, and the same can be said of you, Charlene Amherst," Argo responded.

Despite his calm outward appearance, Argo's heart was actually beating faster than ever. Charlene's eyes still looked as cold and murderous as before. And now, those eyes that gave him the chills were colored silver. Argo knew Charlene was capable of taking his life at any moment, but he had no choice but to confront her directly. He dare not go against Erebus' commands.

"You better not try anything funny," Argo tried his best to dissuade Charlene from doing anything to him, "I know that you Claymores are not allowed to hurt humans. It's a rule that proves that you half monsters are on our side."

"General Argo, I do hope you seriously consider your actions now. The Organization will not take this incident lightly," Magdalene quickly interfered, hoping to prevent any unnecessary trouble. It did not take much for Magdalene to sense the enmity between Charlene and Argo.

Even if Charlene was still having that usual stoic expression of hers, Magdalene was taking no chances. After all, Charlene was not known to display her emotions openly, nor was she one to lose her composure and enter into an uncontrollable rage. She would probably just calmly devise a plan to kill Argo in the most effective way possible.

"Back off, Charlene. Let me handle this," Magdalene tried to take control of the situation, but Charlene was totally ignoring her.

"Hey, my family is not involved in this right? Let us out of here, we're not related to these Claymores!" Erwin shouted frantically, trying his hardest to buy himself out of the sticky situation.

But Erwin was given no answer. Walking past Erwin and towards Argo, Charlene reached out for her weapons, her right arm reaching for the top and left arm reaching for the bottom. Grabbing both ends of her sheathed weapon, Charlene pulled out two swords, with the one on her left hand the shorter of the two.

Argo recognized the two swords immediately. They belonged to the one he had killed eight years ago – the swords of Deagmund Amherst.

"What are you doing? Are you courting death? You know very well that the rule prohibits Claymores from laying a hand on us!" Argo panicked when he realized Charlene's intention to take his life. Even the twenty soldiers with him were insufficient to protect him.

"To be honest, I wasn't planning on avenging my master until you appear right in front of me, Argo. You have courted your own death," Charlene began advancing towards Argo, determined to avenge her master.

"Stop it, Charlene!" Magdalene tried to prevent any trouble, but her words did not register in Charlene's ears.

"I'm sorry, Magdalene. Looks like your sword will be stained with my blood after all…"

"You monster!" Argo made a desperate dash for the door, fearing for his own life.

"Monster? Since you call me a monster… so be it," Charlene vanished from everyone's sight suddenly and appeared before Argo as if she had teleported there. Her sword held high up, she swung down her right arm, aiming to kill Argo with one single blow.

_Clang!_ The sound of swords clashing could be heard.

"Out of my way, Magdalene…" Charlene spoke with a calm and cold voice, not raising her volume at all.

"I'm afraid I can't, Charlene…" Holding off Charlene's sword, Magdalene braced herself for another attack from Charlene.

"Phew… I'm saved…" Argo was too weak to stand by then, his years of experience on the battlefield counted for nothing against Charlene's superior strength and speed, "Men… get me out of here…"

"You bastards! Let go of my sister!" Taking the fruit knife he had taken in earlier along with the tray of food, Erwin made a dash towards the soldiers who were pinning Ilse down.

It did not take much effort for the soldiers to thwart Erwin's rescue attempt. He was not skilled enough to take on the soldier. The fruit knife Erwin was using wasn't even enough to scratch the soldiers' thick armor.

"Let go of me!" Erwin struggled as the soldiers managed to hold him down. The surprisingly energetic Erwin was quite a persistent one, refusing to give up even when the soldiers tried to hit him into submission.

_Damn it… what is this? A free for all?_ Magdalene thought, before shifting her focus back to Charlene.

"Forget about that brat! Just get me out of here!" Argo screamed frantically as his soldiers were guilty of handling the whole situation with their eyes.

Further down the corridor, two Claymores were facing each other, their weapons pressed against each other.

"Stop it, Charlene! Don't do anything foolish. Your life isn't worth throwing away for that man!" Shouting at the top of her voice, Magdalene tried every way possible to prevent Charlene from going after Argo.

Charlene continued to press her main sword against Magdalene's blade, giving no response to Magdalene's pleas. Using her free left arm, Charlene aimed her secondary sword at Magdalene's right arm, attempting to force Magdalene back. Reacting in the way Charlene wanted, Magdalene had no choice but to jump backwards in order to avoid being cut.

Before Magdalene could steady herself, Charlene disappeared from her view. Charlene was at Magdalene's right side in a split second, squeezing in between the narrow space between the corridor's wall and her opponent. Magdalene pulled her claymore back to cover her right side, holding the sword with only her right arm. She managed to block Charlene's powerful attack, with her left arm pushing against the flat side of her own claymore to fight against Charlene's powerful blow.

But Magdalene could do nothing as Charlene's secondary sword followed quickly and inflicted a deep gash on her right arm. Magdalene quickly backed off to create some distance between them. Her huge and unwieldy claymore was proving to be ineffective against Charlene's fast moving twin swords. The corridor was just too narrow for Magdalene to effectively use her huge weapon. Charlene with her twin swords was extremely fast and nimble, and she had no problems fighting in the tight spaces.

But the corridor's confined space was the least of Magdalene's worry. Charlene's last move wasn't intended to take down Magdalene. It was to get in between Argo and Magdalene. To make matters worst, Magdalene actually backed off from Charlene. It was a correct and sensible move under normal circumstances. But at that moment, it placed Magdalene further from Argo, and Charlene was standing right in the middle. She could kill Argo before Magdalene could do anything.

_Shit! That's bad!_ Magdalene scolded herself for giving Charlene the upper hand so easily. No matter how talented Charlene was, she was still too young to take Magdalene head on. But Magdalene forgot that Charlene's goal was too kill Argo, not to defeat her. Charlene took full advantage of Magdalene's mistake to get in between her and Argo.

"Looks like your time is up, Argo," Charlene spoke with an unsympathetic voice.

Argo watched helplessly as Charlene closed in on him with blinding speed, her sword aiming for his head. It was a hopeless situation; Magdalene did not have the speed to match Charlene in the first place. With Magdalene unable to stop her, Charlene was about to slice Argo's head off when a familiar figure appeared before her.

"Didn't I tell you not to take your own life so lightly?" a soft and weak voice was heard.

Her body still shaking, Rachel placed herself between Charlene and Argo, her left hand holding on to her claymore. Charlene's sword was inches away from meeting the blade of Rachel's claymore. If they had made contact, Rachel would have been thrown off the ground, especially since she was still missing a right arm.

"Stop it, ok?" Rachel was still trembling from the previous battle with Adena, but her weak voice was enough to make Charlene stop.

"Get out of my sight before I change my mind," sliding her two swords back to their sheaths, Charlene proceeded to help Rachel back to the room.

Wasting no time at all, Argo and his men were out of the inn within seconds. Hurried and disorganized footsteps could be heard as the soldiers ran away from the inn.

"Damn it… you'll regret this… you witch…" Argo swore revenge on Charlene as he mounted his horse and rushed backed to his residence. There was no way he would allow his pride to be crushed by a silver eyed witch.

_**End of Chapter 07**_

**Hope you all like this chapter. I'll really appreciate comments and advices.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. Second Attack

**Silvered Assassin**

**Chapter 08: Second Attack**

"Ouch! Go easy on me, sis," Erwin winced in pain as Ilse treated his numerous wounds and bruises. The soldiers that pinned Erwin down earlier certainly did not go easy on him.

"It's your fault for trying to attack those soldiers. How many times must you worry me with your rash actions?" Ignoring her brother's complains, Ilse continued to apply the ointment on Erwin's badly bruised back with some force, as if to punish him for his earlier misdeeds.

"Sheesh… so much for trying to help you…" Erwin protested softly as Ilse continued to nag at his earlier actions.

"Are we really going to let them stay? Haven't they caused enough trouble?" Erwin spoke up after some time.

"I'm not sure…" Ilse paused for a moment before answering Erwin, "We'll have to wait for grandpa's decision."

"We should just throw those troublemakers out," putting on his shirt, Erwin walked towards his grandfather's room.

Standing outside of his grandfather's room, Erwin knocked on the room's door, asking for permission to enter.

"C'mon in…" a soft voice could be heard coming from the room and Erwin promptly went in.

Having hurt his back earlier, Altman was unable to get up when his grandchildren entered his room. He could only wait for them to go to his bedside. Before Erwin could say anything, Altman raised his hand, telling Erwin not to speak first. He already knew what his hot headed grandson was going to say.

"I'll have them leave this place tomorrow morning," knowing Erwin's impatience, Altman made his decision known quickly.

"But grandpa, they must leave now. Haven't those witches caused enough trouble?" Erwin wasn't slow to reveal his displeasure at his grandfather's decision.

"Stop it, Erwin. Instead of thinking about those Claymores, why don't you put more attention into grandpa's health?" knocking her knuckles softly against Erwin's head, Ilse attempted to knock some sense into Erwin's mind.

"But…" Erwin decided against arguing with his sister. He could never outtalk Ilse.

"Let's just forget about those Claymores, ok? Go back to your rooms and rest. It has been a tired day for the both of you," Altman laughed as he patted the head of his grandson.

Erwin and Ilse soon made their way to their own rooms. Erwin, however, was far from satisfied with his grandfather's decision.

Meanwhile, the three Claymores remained silent in their room. Rachel was concentrating on regenerating her right arm, while Charlene was in her usual silent mode. Magdalene just sat on the floor, her back leaning against the wall. With a serious look on her face, Magdalene thought on what she wanted to say to Charlene. She certainly wasn't happy at Charlene's earlier actions.

"Honestly, what's wrong with you," finally deciding to start her long delayed lecture, Magdalene broke the uneasy silence in the room.

Charlene gave no response. She just continued to look at Rachel, her apathetic expression concealing her deep concern for her best friend.

"Why are you so bent on killing that man?" Magdalene questioned Charlene again, hoping to get some answers.

"He killed my master, that's all," Charlene replied after a long pause that seemed to last for eternity.

"That lousy general said your master was a traitor. Was he really a traitor?" Magdalene decided to try her luck and pressed on for more details, "Your master was wronged, and that guy was a villain who plotted against him. So you wanted to take revenge for your master. Am I guessing correctly?"

"I'm not really into taking revenge for my master. In fact, there is every possibility that he really was a traitor, and Argo might just be doing his job. I don't really have a valid reason to go after Argo if you look at it from a certain perspective. So I just told myself that if that man appears before me, I will just kill him out of convenience. Other than that, I will not make any plans to take his life. He appeared before me just now and I just took advantage of it," Charlene replied, surprising Magdalene with a longer than usual answer.

"Even then, you could see that there were people around us. You could have chosen to take your revenge in some deserted place where there are no witnesses or something. Next time, just choose your time carefully. Do your revenge stuff in a place without any humans or those black coats around, ok?" finished with what she wanted to say, Magdalene closed her eyes to rest.

Charlene did not say a word more as the night went on. She had already spoken a lot more than she would normally do already.

--Section Divider—

Within the Zeeman residence, a particular room was off limits to all except for Argo himself. The room was situated at the far corner of the residence. It was sparsely decorated. Apart from a huge table and a few chairs, there was hardly anything in the room. Standing at the room's balcony was a gruff looking man looking to be in his late twenties. While not of a tall height, he was well built and had the look of a seasoned warrior. Dressed in normal looking clothes, the only accessory the man had was a sword worn at his left side. Despite his seemingly unimpressive appearance, this man was the one controlling Argo. He was a mysterious man who seemed to have no past or future. The few people who were in contact with him only knew that he went by the name of Erebus.

"Argo failed. What a pity. At least your mission was completed perfectly. Did you leave that sword behind as evidence?" Erebus started talking when a young man entered the room.

"Not to worry. Everything has been set up. But honestly, what a complete fool he is. Just what did you see in him, Erebus?" seated on one of the chairs was Nicolae, the right hand man of Erebus. Unlike his master, Nicolae had sharp and beautiful features, with his golden hair extending beyond his shoulders.

"Lust for power. That's what I see in him, and by using him we can achieve our goals," Erebus replied as he continued to look out of the balcony.

"Seriously, what kind of a foolish human rushes head on against three Claymores. He must really be dreaming to think of such a useless strategy," Nicolae continued, his criticism clearly directed at Argo.

"Not to worry. Should Argo fail, I'll let you have her after we successfully take over this city. That should please you, am I right?" walking back into the room, Erebus definitely made his subordinate happy with such a decision.

"Mmm… I'm looking forward to having some fun with her," Nicolae did not conceal his excitement as he was eager to meet Charlene as well.

"You should be more far sighted, Nicolae. That girl is just a pest that can be taken care of whenever we like. You should be more excited about our final goal," Erebus reminded Nicolae.

"Of course, I can't wait to crush those who caused us to suffer. I'll definitely make them pay," Nicolae's eyes showed plenty of hatred as he thought of ways he would take revenge against all who made him suffer.

--Section Divider—

"Quick! Get the archers ready!" Argo hissed at his men as he neared the inn where the Claymores were staying.

After he was thoroughly humiliated by Charlene, Argo was eager to get back at her. More importantly, he was not going to tell Erebus that he had failed. With the advice of his advisor, Argo decided to approach the Claymores with a different strategy; or a smarter strategy, to be exact.

"Are the arrows lit?" Argo asked his advisor as he waited anxiously.

"All preparations are done, General Argo. We're ready to attack," his advisor replied.

"Good. Commence the attack," Argo wasted no time as he ordered his archers to fire their arrows.

Within seconds, hundreds of arrows were fired at the inn. The arrows were all lit with fire, and the whole area was soon illuminated by the fire's light. Smashing through the windows, the arrows soon set the whole inn ablaze. Argo was so desperate to capture Charlene that he was willing to take the lives of anyone who might happen to be inside the inn.

The crashing sound of the arrows flying into the inn ensured that the inn's occupants were woken from their slumber. Everything that was flammable was on fire as more arrows flew into the inn. By the time Erwin knew what was happening, the smoke caused by the fire was too thick for him to even locate his room's entrance.

Crouching down, Erwin crawled on his stomach as he tried to reach for the door. The suffocating smoke was taking its toll on Erwin but he couldn't care less. The only thing on his mind was Ilse and his grandfather.

"Erwin! Over here!" shouting to her brother, Ilse had somehow managed to get her grandfather out of his room amidst the chaos.

Rushing to help his grandfather up, Erwin and Ilse made a dash for the stairs, but the arrows that were constantly fired into the inn prevented them from reaching the stairs. Erwin and Ilse could only hide behind a pillar as they tried to avoid being hit by the arrows.

"Wait here! I'll get something to shield us from the arrows!" without hesitation, Erwin made his way to one of the guest rooms down the corridor, keeping his body as close to the floor as possible.

By then, the entire inn was on fire. Whatever escape routes available were rendered useless by the raging fire. The arrows that were flying in made matters worse. The structure of the building was extremely unstable as the walls and ceilings started to fall apart. By the time Erwin crawled inside the room, his body was already full of cuts and burns. With his body in such a bad shape, Erwin was unsure if he had the strength to save Ilse and his grandfather.

"Forget about me, Ilse. You have to get out of here," too weak to even stand; Altman did not have any hope of surviving the fire.

But Ilse was having none of that. She was not going to abandon her grandfather just to save her own life. Ilse looked down the corridor for her brother, but the thick smoke prevented her from doing so as visibility was almost non existent.

With Erwin and Ilse helpless against the situation, it looked like they were not going to survive the fire. The situation was grimmer for Altman. He was an elderly man to begin with, and his body was already weakened with injuries. Furthermore, he had inhaled too much smoke and was suffering from the effects of he poisonous gases caused by the fire.

Erwin was struggling heavily in the fire. He was hoping to get hold of a table to use as a shield. But the constant barrage of arrows made it impossible for him to reach it. Erwin's right leg was already hit by an arrow when he tried to get near that table earlier. With his body in pain and fatigue setting in, Erwin was certain that he was going to die, until he felt a firm grip on his arms.

The next moment he knew, Erwin was lifted off the ground. Strapping Erwin over her shoulders, Charlene broke through the window and leapt to the roof of a building opposite the inn. Landing behind the line of archers who were firing at them, Charlene quickly jumped off the building and ran off before the archers could react.

"Shoot! Don't let them escape!" Argo yelled frantically when he saw his target escaping.

Unfortunately for Argo, the three Claymores were too fast for his archers even if they had someone on their shoulders. The few arrows that got to them were not sufficient to cause any serious injury. They had suffered more serious injuries and survived.

"Damn it!" Argo shouted furiously as he allowed Charlene to slip from his hands once again. Slumping down on the ground dejectedly, Argo could not imagine what would happen to him if Erebus knew of his failure.

Jumping from roof to roof, Charlene headed for the city walls. It was pretty obvious that she could not exit the city using the gates. She was joined by Rachel and Magdalene soon after.

For Erwin, it was probably one of the most terrifying experience of his life. All he knew was that he was flying around at insane speeds. For someone who had never jumped off buildings and cliffs, Erwin was certainly not enjoying his gravity defying experience as Charlene continued to jump from roof to roof without slowing down a bit.

"Arghh!!!" was probably the only thing that could come out from Erwin's mouth.

As if the roller coaster ride wasn't enough, Erwin soon found himself staring down from Agartha's towering walls. Standing a hundred feet tall, Agartha had one of the tallest walls on the continent. Jumping down from such a height would certainly mean death for a normal human being. Of course, the three Claymores were far from normal.

"Err… you're not jumping down, are you?" Erwin asked softly, though he sort of knew the answer.

Charlene just turned her head and looked at Erwin, showing her trademark stoic expression. After a second or so, she turned back to look in front of her. Without giving any hint or so, Charlene stepped off the wall and started plummeting down at high speeds. Striking her boots against the wall occasionally to slow herself down, Charlene soon reached the bottom of the wall. Erwin could only groan in pain as the impact was pretty hard on him, especially since he was lying on top of Charlene's shoulder armor, not the softest of things to lie on.

By dawn, the three Claymores were deep within the forest, a considerable distance away from Agartha. Erwin was in a complete daze as Charlene threw him down on the ground rather roughly.

"This sucks! That idiot just had to attack when I'm still regenerating my arm," Rachel complained as she looked at her uncompleted arm. She had just completed regenerating up to her elbow when Argo's men attacked.

"Just be glad we're alive. These arrows are really a pain," Magdalene added as she pulled out several arrows that had hit her back. Even with her lightning quick responses, Magdalene could not dodge all the arrows that rained down on her.

After removing the arrows that struck them, the three Claymores took off their armor and rested. It took quite some time before Erwin and Ilse recovered from the shock they just had. Altman, however, remained unconscious.

The forest was quiet save for Rachel's constant babbling as she kept on complaining on what had happened earlier. Charlene just listened to her silently while Magdalene looked rather irritated at Rachel.

"Oh? You're awake?" Rachel was the first to notice that Erwin had gotten up.

"Yeah… I think so…" Erwin was still rather confused at this point of time.

"Where are we?" looking around, Erwin realized that he was in a unfamiliar place.

"10 miles east of Agartha," Charlene replied rather curtly.

"That's right. That inn of yours cannot be saved. We had to rescue you guys from that fire," Magdalene deciding to add on to Charlene's answer.

"Well, thanks. But… why were we brought here?" Erwin asked again.

The three Claymores then looked at each other. They obviously had no answer to that question. They simply took the three human beings with them as they escaped from Agartha.

"Well…" Rachel scratched her head with her new right arm embarrassingly, "We have quite a problem, don't we?"

It was then that Erwin remembered about his grandfather, "Grandpa!"

Running over to his grandfather, Erwin felt like crying as his grandfather looked extremely weak. His breathing was slow and heavy, and his pulse was weak. It then came upon Erwin that his grandfather was not going to survive this ordeal.

"He's not going to last long," Magdalene did not mince her words as she told Erwin about his grandfather's condition.

By then, Ilse was unable to hold back her tears. It was clear by then that she was going to lose her grandfather. Fighting back his tears, Erwin could only stay by his grandfather's side in silence.

It was close to noon when Altman breathed his last breath. Nobody said a word as Erwin and Ilse buried their grandfather with their own hands. By the time they were finished, it was in the late afternoon.

"Let's go, sis," as soon as they were done, Erwin urged Ilse to leave the area.

"To where?" Ilse asked, "Do you know the way back?"

"She's right," Magdalene added, "The two of you are better off staying with us. Let's just say that I will play nice and bring the both of you to Xylar."

"We're not going with you," Erwin glared at Magdalene. He did not know how he managed to have the courage to look at Magdalene that way, but his anger probably took away any fear he might had at that time.

"The three of you have caused enough sufferings to us. We would still be safe and sound had the three of you not appeared, and grandpa would not have died. I will never forgive you Claymores," Erwin continued with a soft but hateful tone.

"You can't survive in the wild," Magdalene said again, trying to persuade Erwin and Ilse to follow them.

"Leave us alone!" shouted Erwin, his anger at boiling point by then, "How long must you pester us? You've taken our peaceful live and grandpa away! We've lost everything thanks to you!"

"Fine," not bothering to talk any further, Magdalene turned and started walking east to Xylar, motioning Charlene and Rachel to follow as well.

"What are you thinking, Erwin? We will die here!" Ilse scolded Erwin as the Claymores left. She wasn't too optimistic about their chances of survival.

Erwin shrugged off Ilse's comments and just walked in a direction he had chosen randomly. He just made sure he did not choose the same direction as the Claymores. Having no choice, Ilse just followed her brother. While she knew that following the Claymores was their best chance of surviving in the wild, she did not want to waste any energy arguing with Erwin. Moreover, she was also quite relieved to be away from the Claymores. She never felt particularly comfortable with them around.

With the sun setting in a few hours, human and Claymore headed out in opposite directions, their fates destined to be different.

--Section Divider--

"C'mon, Charlene," Rachel tugged at her friend just as the sun was setting.

"Huh?" not the kind of response Rachel wanted. Not that it really mattered.

"We can't leave them alone," turning back, Rachel started walking towards the direction where Erwin and Ilse heading, pulling Charlene along at the same time.

_Hmph… what bright ideas do you have this time, Rachel? _Magdalene thought to herself as she sat down and rested against her claymore.

_**End of Chapter 08**_

**Hope this chapter is good. Please let me know if I handled the interaction between Erwin and the Claymores well. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	9. A New King

**Silvered Assassin**

**Chapter 09: A New King**

"You have failed me again, Argo," Erebus spoke calmly as Argo returned after failing his mission.

"Hmph… useless as always…" Nicolae added, though he was secretly happy that Argo failed. He wanted to deal with Charlene himself.

"This will not happen again, my lord," Argo pleaded with a trembling voice.

"It better not happen again. The next time you fail me, I will kill you with my own hands," warned Erebus.

"Bring that fool in," Nicolae commanded when Erebus was done with Argo.

Two soldiers soon entered the room, each holding on to one arm of an elderly man. Several cuts and bruises could be seen on his face as Alden was dragged towards Erebus. Erebus signaled for the soldiers to release their captive. The elderly man staggered towards Erebus, giving Argo a hateful glance as he went past the general.

"What do you want with me? And who are you?" Alden asked Erebus with a weak voice.

Erebus laughed to himself, "What do I want from you? I thought my men made it clear to you. I want nothing else but your cooperation, Alden. Take it as a second chance. I know you have been going against Argo all this while. Pledge your loyalty to me, and I will forget about whatever resistance you have put up against us."

"Just what are you planning?" Alden demanded.

"The King is old and useless; his only son is a spoiled brat. As long as those fools are in charged of Agartha, we will never progress. This city needs new leadership, and I will be the one who will steer this great city to greater heights. Pledge loyalty to me, Alden, and you will be greatly rewarded once I have control over Agartha," explaining his goal to Alden, Erebus smiled as he waited patiently for Alden's answer.

"In other words, you are revolting against the King. Do you think you can overthrow the King so easily?" Alden questioned, unconvinced that Erebus' plans, whatever they may be, would work.

"Of course not. That's why I spent quite a few years just to gather the support of those who have similar ideals as me. You should know that the council is loyal to Argo and me. With Argo's reputation and his command over the military, that useless King no longer have the power to do anything. Join me, Alden. Resisting against me will not do you any good. Everything is done so that Agartha will prosper," Erebus replied.

"Since when have you been planning this? Was Daegmund killed because of you?" Alden asked angrily as the needless death of Daegmund still lingered in his mind.

"To be honest, I only planned to take over Agartha four years ago. So you could say that I'm not responsible for your friend's death. I just decided to take Argo in when I realized that he had been planning a revolt for quite some time. It's really convenient for me to have half the job done by Argo," answered Erebus.

"Filthy dogs. I will never take part in your treacherous acts!" Alden spat at Erebus as he made known his reply.

Nicolae responded by slapping Alden with the back of his hand. Blood flowed from Alden's nose and mouth as he fell from the impact. Feeling weak and dizzy, Alden struggled to even stand up.

"The rest of you may leave," Erebus instructed, "Including you, Argo."

With Argo and the soldiers gone, only Erebus, Nicolae and Alden were left in the room. Erebus sat down on one the chairs behind him while Nicolae walked up to Alden, who was still unable to stand.

"What do you want with me? Get away from me!" Alden shouted as he saw Nicolae approaching him.

Alden was shaking with fear as Nicolae came nearer. Something within him was telling Alden that Nicolae was planning something sinister. Alden tried to reach for the door, but days of torture by Erebus' men have left him weak. Despite his desperate attempts to stay clear of Nicolae, Alden could not escape.

"Just… who are you?" Alden cried in fear as something did not seem right with Nicolae.

"Keep it a secret, ok?" Nicolae whispered into Alden's ears.

As he was picked off the floor, Alden could hear a cracking sound coming from Nicolae's jaws. It was as if Nicolae's jaws were moving. Nicolae's face then started to crack, as his face started to disfigure. Sharp fangs could be seen growing from Nicolae's jaws as his fair skin turned green in color. By the time the transformation was complete, Nicolae's head was two times the size of what it used to be. Alden was too shocked to let out any noise as he came face to face with what seemed to be a yoma's head. Strangely enough, Nicolae's body remained unchanged.

"Impossible… you're a yoma? This can't be happening…" Alden muttered to himself as Nicolae stared straight at him with a pair of monstrous eyes.

Alden did not even have the time to scream as Nicolae plunged his jaws into his midsection. Ripping out Alden's guts with his hands, Nicolae savored every last shred of entrails Alden could give him.

Erebus watched quietly as Nicolae ripped Alden apart, "How was it?" he asked when his partner was finished with the meal.

"Well, how should I put it," Nicolae replied with a smirk, "The younger ones still taste better."

"Hmm… I knew you would say that. Clean up this place. We will have to prepare for the speech this evening," Erebus instructed.

"Hmm… everything is done so that Agartha will prosper… you sure know how to put things nicely. I can't wait to see how those foolish humans will react when they realize that Agartha's fortunes are none of our concern," Nicolae laughed to himself as he recalled their true reasons for overthrowing the King.

Erebus just smiled as he walked out of the room quietly.

--Section Divider--

Elsewhere, more than 10 miles from Agartha, Rachel suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"What's wrong? Did you detect anything?" Charlene asked when she noticed it.

"I thought I felt something from Agartha," Rachel was not sure if that faint sensation was accurate or not.

"So, any confirmation?" Charlene probed further.

"Nah… it's probably my imagination," dismissing the feeling she got earlier, Rachel quickened her steps to catch up as she had fallen behind by a bit.

--Section Divider—

Thousands of people gathered in front of the palace as evening approached. Standing on a balcony facing the people was one of the elders of Agartha. Taking a deep breath, he walked up to the railing and started to address the huge crowd.

"Citizens of Agartha, I have grave news to announce. King Alarico, our great and mighty ruler, was assassinated yesterday," the elder put on a somber face as he spoke to the people.

There was a huge uproar as the announcement was made. King Alarico had been ruling Agartha for more than 30 years and was well loved by its people. The crowd reacted angrily as they demanded for answers. Raising his hand, the elder tried to calm the crowd, but it was not an easy job. Similarly, high ranking officials and nobility who were present could not believe what they had just heard. Discussions could be heard among them as they tried to speculate the truth behind the assassination.

"After thorough investigations, it was discovered that the culprit was one of the Claymores that arrived in our city a few days ago. The murderer apparently left her weapon behind when the King's guards discovered her," holding up a huge sword for the crowd to view, the weapon was indeed the one used by Claymores.

"The council has confirmed the truth, citizens of Agartha! Those silver eyed witches will not escape our wrath!" the elder looked pleased as the crowd seemed to agree with him. Many were furious that their beloved King was dead, and the majority believed that the Claymores were the culprits.

Some in the crowd, especially the officials and nobles, were skeptical of what had just been announced. Why would the Claymores assassinate their king for no apparent reason? But what was going to be announced would surprise them even more.

Continuing with his speech, the elder then made an important announcement, "With our king dead, the senate has appointed a temporary caretaker until the crown prince returns from his expedition at Udrogoth. After careful consideration, the man the senate deemed as most suited for this job is Argo Zeeman, commander of the army. He was also the one who bravely went against the Claymores yesterday night, as some of you might have witnessed."

Appearing before the crowd, Argo was beaming as the announcement was made. His dream had finally come true. Of course, the crown prince was not going to return. It was a lie by the council. The supposed expedition to invade the neighboring city of Udrogoth was actually an attempt to kill the crown prince. Once the senate announces the death of the crown prince, Argo will be given the status of the King of Agartha.

The crowd did not seem to mind the council's decision. After all, Argo was the commander of the army. Having led Agartha in numerous battles, Argo had quite a high standing among the people. Describing his messed up attempts to capture Charlene as a brave confrontation against the ones who killed the King further elevated Argo's popularity. However, what the common folk did not know was that Argo owed much of his success to Erebus and Nicolae. He did not have that much ability in the first place.

Watching from a distance, Erebus was satisfied with what he saw. Over the years, he had assisted Argo in every way to gain the King's as well as the people's favor. He would make sure Argo was successful in all his battles to ensure that his reputation would improve among the people. He also helped planned the elimination of those loyal to the King and directed Argo to promote those who were considered useful to him.

The yoma that Rachel was assigned to kill was also planted by Erebus. It will force the king to hire a Claymore. Erebus then had Nicolae kill the King with the sword of a Claymore they had killed months earlier. With the senate and much of the military loyal to him, the assassination was easy to execute. By having Nicolae use a fallen Claymore's sword, he could make it look like the Claymores were the ones responsible for the King's death. That was also why Argo was told to capture Charlene, to make it look like he was going after the assassin and to eliminate a future threat. Erebus did not mind having three less silvered eye warriors to deal with either. While the three Claymores managed to escape, the incident still managed to work in Erebus' favor.

With the senate's loyalty, any objections made by other officials and nobles could be thrown back, since the senate had the most authority after the King. It also helped that the people's respect for the senate was second only to their admiration for the King. Now that Argo had control over the city state of Agartha, Erebus could move on to the next phase of his plan.

"Get to work, Nicolae. Over the next few days, we have to show more concrete evidence that the King was killed by a Claymore. The people will need to be fully convinced that the assassination was carried out by a Claymore. Only then will Argo have the full support of those who are not convinced by the earlier speech," heading to his new hideout in the palace, Erebus was certain that his plan would succeed.

--Section Divider—

The forest was quiet except for the sound of crickets chirping. It was hard to see anything as the sun had gone down an hour ago. The overcast sky meant that the moonlight was blocked, and nothing but darkness surrounded the area. Drops of rain soon fell from the sky as the clouds gave way. The chirping of the crickets was soon replaced by the sound of rain falling hard on the vegetation and forest floor. The occasional claps of thunder added to the unpleasant sound of falling rain.

Erwin and Ilse could only huddle together as the storm showed no signs of letting up. The makeshift shelter constructed of leaves did little to keep the rain out as the siblings shivered in cold. The both of them could only wait as the darkness meant that they could not see anything. Earlier attempts to build a fire were unsuccessful, not surprising since the both of them did not have much experience in surviving in the wild. The storm only made it worse.

"Give us a break, will you?" Erwin cursed at the skies as the downpour got heavier and heavier.

"Keep it down, Erwin. The storm will not stop just because you shouted at it," Ilse chided her brother.

It was bad enough that she was stuck out in the wild on a stormy night. Erwin's unnecessary shouting only caused more discomfort to her. Unfortunately, Ilse's comments only made Erwin more agitated. None of them enjoyed the stormy night, but Erwin's negative attitude only added to the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"None of this would have happen if those monsters had not shown up," Erwin started complaining again.

"That's enough, Erwin. Forget about those Claymores. Think of how to survive instead of complaining," Ilse snapped at Erwin as she could not stand his constant ranting.

Fortunately for the both of them, the storm only lasted a few hours. It was midnight by the time the storm stopped. However, they could not do anything as it was still dark. The earlier downpour had made everything wet, and it was impossible for Erwin to start a fire. The siblings were also unable to rest well; the wet forest was not the best place to spend the night.

The night seemed to go on forever as the siblings tried their very best to fall asleep. No matter how they tried, sleep just avoided them. Unable to fall asleep, Erwin and Ilse just closed their eyes hoping that they would get enough rest for the tough days ahead.

"The two of you want something to eat?" a somewhat familiar voice came from behind.

Erwin and Ilse jolted from where they were resting as they realized that they were not alone. Before they could turn around, several fruits were thrown down on them. Turning around, they saw a lithe figure standing behind them. It was dark, but the person's silver eyes could be seen clearly.

"What the…" Erwin exclaimed loudly as he distanced himself away from Rachel.

"Aww… come on. What's with that reaction of yours? Can't you at least pretend to look grateful or something?" Rachel commented with a slightly disappointed look on her face.

"What are you doing here? I thought I made myself clear that we don't want you Claymores anywhere near us?" Erwin responded angrily.

"Just shut up and eat," Rachel retorted as she shoved the fruit into Erwin's mouth.

As Erwin continued to argue with Rachel, Ilse felt someone behind her. Looking back, she saw Charlene behind her. Not a word was spoken as Charlene stretched out her hands to Ilse, offering her something to eat. While Charlene did not show any sort of emotion, Ilse actually felt unafraid. Ilse could somehow feel Charlene's sincerity.

"Thanks," Ilse took the palm sized fruit from Charlene after some consideration and looked at it.

"It's safe to eat," Charlene assured Ilse when she saw some hesitation in her.

Pretty soon, Erwin and Ilse were vigorously chewing on the fruits. As much as he hated to admit, Erwin needed the food Charlene and Rachel brought. Both Erwin and Ilse had not eaten since morning, and they were famished. The wet and cold weather did not do much to help either. The delayed meal might have been provided by the Claymores that Erwin hated, but he could not deny that the fruits were like a god send to his sister and he.

"Why did you help us?" Erwin asked as he devoured the fruits.

"No reasons. I just can't leave the two of you behind knowing that you two cannot survive out here," Rachel replied almost immediately.

"That's strange. I always thought you Claymores are incapable of having any emotions. To think that you would actually be concerned about us," Erwin said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Well, you can say that I'm a little different," Rachel said.

"And stop calling me a Claymore. I have a name, it's Rachel. She's Charlene," Rachel continued as she pointed her fingers at Charlene. Charlene just kept quiet and stared at nothing with her face showing no emotion as usual.

"Hmph… I don't care what you girls are called. Anyway, thanks for the help," picking himself up, Erwin went back to his little makeshift shelter, if it can actually be called a shelter.

"Where will you be going?" Rachel asked Ilse.

"We're not sure. It's obvious we can't go back to Agartha after all that has happened. We'll probably just wander around and settle somewhere," Ilse replied with a soft voice that seemed to lack confidence.

"Come with us. We're going to Xylar. It's not as big as Agartha, but it's a decent city. The two of you will be safer traveling with us. There are lots of bandits and yomas out here. It will be too dangerous for the two of you to wonder in the wild by yourselves," Rachel said.

"We can handle ourselves well enough. Thanks but no thanks," Erwin rejected Rachel's offer immediately.

"We'll go with you," Ilse spoke up, surprising Erwin.

"Sis, what are you doing? How can you trust them?" Erwin protested when he heard his sister's decision.

"I'm surprised at how quickly you forget about those who helped you. Besides, our best bet for surviving is to follow them," scolded Ilse.

"But sis…" Erwin tried to object, but Ilse was having none of it.

"Great! We'll set off tomorrow morning," Rachel was certainly happier than anyone as the thought of traveling with two humans made her excited.

"I still don't like it," Erwin complained, but he knew he had no choice.

"No matter what, my decision is final. I don't intend to die here," dismissing Erwin's objections, Ilse went back to the pathetic shelter and closed her eyes.

"Move it, you're taking too much space," Ilse gave Erwin a little nudge as she tried to have more space for herself within the small shelter.

"You might want to try dieting," Erwin replied softly.

"Ouch! Stop it!" Erwin hissed as Ilse pinched him in his arm.

Charlene and Rachel just rested a few feet away from the siblings. The night was quiet as the four of them waited for the sun to rise. It was going to be a long walk to Xylar, and the siblings needed as much rest as possible.

_**End of Chapter 09**_

**Hope this chapter is alright. A part of Erebus' plan has been shown now. Not sure if I did that second part of the chapter nicely, but this is the best I can think of for now. I will probably reveal more about Erebus and Nicolae in the next chapter. As of now, I will most likely update this fic once every 2 weeks, kind of busy with my studies and my other fic. Anyway, thanks for reading!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	10. Before the First

**Silvered Assassin**

**Chapter 10: Before the First**

_I hate mosquitoes. _

Erwin slapped himself in the face again as he felt a ticklish sensation on his right cheek. One smack and a sore cheek later, the young man placed his palms in front of him, wondering if he managed to flatten the annoying insect with the last slap. There wasn't really much use, though. As much as he tried, Erwin could not see a single thing in the pitch darkness with his human eyes. Only a soft buzz at his left ear a few seconds later confirmed his failure to kill the annoying mosquito.

Even with the assurance of the two "uninvited" Claymores, Erwin could not sleep. The discomfort, coupled with the tragic experience earlier, made resting hard. Ilse was unable to sleep as well. Erwin could feel his sister fidgeting beside him. All Erwin could do was to stare at the canopy above him. Erwin would rather stare at the night sky, but all he could see in the thick forest were countless leafs and branches. The silhouettes of the tall canopies were all the young man could see.

Closing his eyes in another attempt to fall asleep, Erwin tried to empty his mind of what had happened earlier. But all he got in return was an even older memory; the very day Ilse and he lost someone valuable.

_--Flashback--_

_Several miles north of Agartha was the small fishing village of Avonlea. Tucked within the village was a small hut. It was late at night, but the tiny hut was abuzz with activity._

"_Is the fire started?" Ilse asked impatiently as her younger brother fumbled with the setting up of the fire, "I can't believe a fifteen year old male like you can't start a proper fire."_

"_Stop hurrying me. I'm nearly done," Erwin hissed at his sister as he tried for the sixth time to start the fire._

"_You said that five minutes ago," Ilse was getting fed up with Erwin's constant delaying._

"_Just wait, okay?" Erwin replied._

"_You said that five minutes ago too." Ilse was quick to remind._

_Erwin was getting more irritated by the minute, "Argh! You're annoying!"_

_Ilse smiled. She knew she had Erwin, "That's because you're slow."_

"_Shut up!" Erwin retorted, but somehow he knew Ilse was not done yet._

"_I'll do if you start the fire."_

"_I hate you," Erwin said softly, but loud enough for Ilse to hear it._

"_Ditto."_

_Erwin could not take it any longer, "I give up."_

"_Gosh, you're really useless."_

"_Then why don't you do it."_

"_So you'll do the cooking?"_

"_Nope."_

"_Slacker."_

"_I'm not."_

"_Prove to me by starting the fire."_

"_Fine…" Erwin gave up trying to argue with his sister. He rarely emerge tops over Ilse whenever they argued._

_Erwin and Ilse probably spent more time arguing than preparing dinner, but the fire was eventually started and Ilse could finally do the cooking. Dinner was a simple affair, some vegetables and meat dumped into a pot of boiling water. There wasn't anything else they could have. Avonlea wasn't the most well to do community; meals were mostly simple affairs. _

"_Dad's later than usual," Erwin complained as the night grew older._

"_Mum is probably still waiting at the jetty for dad to return from his fishing trip," Ilse added with a concerned look, "I hope she doesn't catch a cold out there."_

"_Don't worry, the rest are with her waiting. I bet even that yoma wouldn't dare show its face with so many people there," Erwin assured Ilse with his far from convincing reasoning._

_Since Avonlea was a fishing village, most of the males were fishermen. Going out to sea in large groups, the men would usually stay out for a few days, sometimes even lasting to a week. Whenever the first batch of fishermen returned, the family members of the remaining fishermen who had yet to return would wait at the village's jetty. It was no different that day as Erwin and Ilse's mother headed straight for the jetty when she caught news that some of the fishermen had returned. It meant that their father would be returning soon._

_Erwin and Ilse waited in their tiny hut, ready to pounce on the door the moment their parents returned. Unlike the usual, the doors and windows of their humble hut were shut tight. There had been recent cases of villagers being killed by yomas – three to be exact. The siblings were taking no chances. The only thing that would see the two of them unlocking the doors would be the voices of their parents._

_Minutes passed by as Erwin and Ilse waited. The siblings were close to dozing off when something caught their ears. It wasn't the sound of their parents. It was the sound of something metallic striking the ground. The sound came at regular intervals, like that of a person walking. Unable to resist the urge, Erwin peeped through a small hole to see who was outside._

"_Sis, take a look," Erwin gestured excitedly for Ilse, "I guessed correctly! It's a Claymore! The village chief really did ask for one to come!"_

_Ilse sprung to her feet and dashed to where Erwin was. Like her brother, Ilse was eager to see what exactly a Claymore was, "She looks scary," Ilse remarked as she spied on the blonde figure some distance away._

"_Err… is she drawing her sword?" Erwin sort of panicked when the Claymore grabbed the hilt of her massive weapon._

"_I think she is…" Ilse replied fearfully._

_Erwin and Ilse looked at each other and froze. If the Claymore was drawing her sword there, it meant that a yoma had to be nearby. The two youngsters instantly scrambled back to their rooms as they cowered in fear. Even if they had not actually seen the yoma, the possibility of having one near them was enough to scare them to bits. Not even the presence of the Claymore was sufficient to take away their fear. In fact, their insecurity was amplified with her presence._

_The two of them remained hidden in a corner until they heard a familiar voice._

"_Stay away from Hilda!" it was the voice of their father._

"_Dad?" whatever fear inside of him vanished as Erwin rushed for the door._

"_Erwin!" Ilse tried to stop her brother, but Erwin was already outside before she could stop him._

_Having no choice, Ilse ran out as she followed after her brother. Running as fast as her legs could carry, Ilse managed to catch up with Erwin as he went past a corner. Erwin had stopped by then and Ilse found it strange that her brother seemed to be staring at something. Closing in on her Erwin, Ilse soon realized what her brother was looking at. Lying a few feet away was their father, too weak to do anything as he remained motionless._

"_Dad…" tears fell uncontrollably as Ilse dropped to her knees._

_Laying limb on the ground, their father had a deep cut across his chest. Blood was spurting out from the massive gash and the stricken man was coughing out blood at the same time. Anyone could tell than the wound was caused by a blade, and the wielder must be extremely strong to be able to inflict such a deep wound._

"_Dad…" Erwin approached his fast dying father in tears, "What happened?"_

_By then, their father was struggling to even breathe, "Hilda… Cla… Claymore…"_

_There was silence._

"_Dad?" Erwin touched his motionless father, "This can't be happening, right? You can't be dead, right?"_

"_Mum, she's gone…" Ilse somehow managed to discover the absence of her mother amidst her grief, "Where…"_

"_SHE'S DEAD! KILLED BY THAT CLAYMORE!" Erwin screamed before Ilse could say anymore, "DIDN'T YOU HEAR WHAT DAD SAID?"_

"_Erwin…" Ilse was at a loss at Erwin's outburst._

_Erwin's fist tightened as anger slowly took over his grief, "Claymores… I kill that witch… I swear…"_

_--End of flashback--_

"Is he alright?" Rachel asked as still sleeping Erwin was perspiring.

"How would I know?" Ilse replied as both of them observed Erwin, "Do you think he might be sick?"

"Oh gosh! He's a real weakling if this is really the case," Rachel slapped her forehead in jest.

"Maybe we should just splash some water on him," Ilse suggested, "I don't think Erwin will fall sick so easily."

Rachel looked at Ilse as if she had just spoken some words of wisdom, "I like it," a cheeky grin flashed across her face.

Fortunately for him, Erwin woke up before the two girls could execute their "evil" plan, "I don't like it."

Ilse sort of had a shock when Erwin suddenly spoke up, but she was relieved that he was fine, "I was wondering what happened to you," Ilse told Erwin as they prepared to set off.

"Instead of worrying about me, why don't you worry about her?" Erwin quickly shifted Rachel and Ilse's attention to Charlene, who was standing motionless staring at nothing as usual, "She looks like she's having cramps or something. Are most Claymores stuck with only one expression?"

Rachel promptly gave Erwin a soft punch on his head, "Stop calling us Claymores… human. And don't worry about her; Charlene's always like this."

"Whatever," Erwin rubbed his throbbing head, "Let's go."

With a blank faced Charlene, an excessively enthusiastic Rachel, a scowling Erwin and a worried looking Ilse, the odd party of four soon set off towards their destination. They had to quicken their pace as Magdalene was waiting for them far ahead, and they did not want to make her wait for too long.

--Section Divider--

Magdalene stretched herself as she woke up from her brief slumber. Despite how it looks, leaning against the flat side of their blades was the most comfortable position for Claymores. Feeling refreshed after a few hours of rest, Magdalene decided to set off, but at a slower pace. She had to maintain a slower pace so that Charlene and Rachel, along with their human entourage, could catch up with her. From time to time, Magdalene would stop to carve a mark on the tree trunks. The marks would serve as directions for her comrades behind.

It was midday when Magdalene decided to take another rest, though she did not need it. Her half yoma body was able to endure way higher levels of strenuous activities. The organization's number one only stopped to allow her two comrades to close the gap. Magdalene let out a sigh as she realized that Charlene and Rachel would not be catching up with her any sooner – not with two humans following along. Up until now, Magdalene had yet to sense Rachel's presence. Magdalene knew it was useless to try to sense Charlene; the number two warrior was second to none when it comes to concealing her presence.

Magdalene was sort of enjoying another of her quiet moments when she heard someone approaching from behind.

_Charlene? _Magdalene first thought of her comrade as she felt no yoki, but soon dispelled that thought. _Even if I can't sense Charlene, I would be able to sense Rachel. Besides, I only hear one set of footsteps._

Despite the apparent lack of yoki, Magdalene instinctively picked herself up and spun towards the direction of the approaching stranger. Reaching out for her sword, Magdalene pointed her weapon at the unknown person. She was not going to take her chances and relax for even a moment. Not after what had happened in Agartha.

"My my, what's with that aggression?" the stranger asked as he approached Magdalene, seemingly unfazed at the top warrior's defensive stance.

"State your business, stranger," Magdalene continued to point her sword at the unknown person. Even though her senses tell her that a human was standing in front of her, Magdalene's guts seemed to say otherwise.

"Business? Not much actually. I'm just here to fulfill my master's orders," the man replied with a tone that sounded too sarcastic for Magdalene's liking.

Magdalene glared at the stranger as he continued walking towards her. How a human could show absolutely no fear was beyond her. All Magdalene knew was that the man was quite a fine looking man. Taller than she was, the stranger had delicate features and golden hair flowing down his shoulders. But despite the man's seemingly good looks, Magdalene had developed a strong disdain for his disrespectful attitude in that short period of contact.

The number one warrior was beginning to suspect that the man standing in front of her was not human. At the very least, he was not an ordinary person.

"Just who are you? And what do your orders have to do with me?" Magdalene was curious to know the stranger's identity, but yet was feeling a sense of dread from his impending answer.

"My name's Nicolae, from the first generation," the stranger answered coolly.

"First generation?" Magdalene was trying to decipher what Nicolae meant when she realized something, "Crap! An awakened being!"

Jumping back to open up a distance between them, Magdalene scolded herself for being too careless. Tightening her grip on the sword, Magdalene sort of expected Nicolae to transform and attack her. But nothing of that sort happened. Nicolae was stood there and smiled at her.

"Not transforming?" Magdalene asked when she noticed Nicolae's inaction, "I'm not going to be so kind and wait for you to get ready!"

Releasing her powers, Magdalene did not hold back as she swung her sword at Nicolae, aiming to cleave off his head in a single attack. For a moment, Magdalene's swing seemed destined to connect as Nicolae just remained motionless. It was as if he was waiting for her to cut him or something. The distinct clang of metal clashing was heard as Magdalene brought her massive blade down on Nicolae, but the end result was far from what she had initially expected.

Magdalene's eyes widened as Nicolae stood in front of her, totally unharmed. The sharp edge of the steel blade rested comfortably on Nicolae's neck; not an inch of it sank into his flesh. The area of the skin near the spot where Magdalene's sword hit looked different though. The left side of Nicolae's neck now had a black, metallic surface covering it. It was as if Nicolae's entire body was protected by a shield.

"Impossible…" Magdalene was at a loss at what she had just witnessed.

Nicolae reached for Magdalene's blade, but she jumped back before he could do it, "That won't work on me. I'm the ultimate shield, after all."

One of the reasons for Magdalene's rank was her ability to strike with immense strength. Rare were the occasions when her blade fail to inflict an injury on her enemies. Yet, Nicolae was able to take a direct hit from Magdalene's strike while suffering no damage at all. Furthermore, he did it without transforming into his awakened form at all.

_He's unhurt? How can it be? Who the heck is this guy? _Magdalene was full of questions now; she was positive that Nicolae had the power of an Abyssal Being. What Magdalene could not understand was how the Organization could be unaware of his existence, and more importantly, how could there be a male awakened being. It was widely known to the Organization that Isley was the last remaining male warriors from the first generation, and he was supposed to be killed two centuries ago.

"Did you just say that you're from the first generation?" Magdalene could not help but ask.

"You heard it correctly," Nicolae did not seem to be in any hurry to fight Magdalene.

Magdalene was now more confused than ever after hearing the confirmation from Nicolae, "Nonsense! Everybody knows that the last of the first male generation was wiped out when Isley died 200 years ago! And now you're saying that you belong to the first generation? Stop your lame tricks! Just who are you?"

Having expected Magdalene's reply, Nicolae patiently explained further, "Correction, young warrior. Isley's generation was the first batch of male warriors to successfully complete their training and enter active service."

Magdalene did not like what she just heard, "What are you trying to say?"

Nicolae let out a soft chuckle before continuing, "In other words, before Isley and his pathetic generation completed their training, there were other generations of male warriors who failed their training. Way before Isley was even born to this world; there were countless victims who lost their lives to the mindless experiments of the Organization. Isley belonged to the first generation of male warriors who successfully entered active service. I, on the other hand, belong to the first generation of male warriors that was experimented on by the Organization."

Magdalene was in utter shock. In all the years she spent in the Organization, Magdalene was taught that Isley's generation was the first batch of warriors ever created. There never was any mention of any experiments or warriors prior to the first generation of male warriors. The unfamiliar sensation of fear crept into Magdalene's heart as she realized she might be facing an adversary far deadlier than any she had ever encountered.

"Say, would you mind to hear a story?" Nicolae spoke before disappearing from Magdalene's sight, only to appear behind her in an instant, "A 800 year old story?"

_**End of Chapter 10**_

**There you have it. Hope this chapter is good. Just for information, I presumed that each generation equals to 7 years. So I just multiplied Claire's generation (which is 79) by 7 years and added 200 (this story is set 200 yrs after the current events in the Claymore Manga) to it. I then rounded the number up to the nearest hundred (since Erebus and Nicolae existed before Isley), which then turns out to be 800. That's how I came up with the Organization being 800 years old.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please tell me your opinion of this chapter and any areas I can improve on. Thanks for reading!**


	11. Origins

**Silvered Assassin**

**Chapter 11: Origins**

"Rachel, what's wrong?" Ilse asked with concern as Rachel had an extremely serious look on her face.

"Is it Magdalene?" Charlene asked.

Rachel nodded her head, "She just released her yoki."

"I'll go," Charlene moved ahead of the group, "Stay with them."

Before Rachel could say anything, Charlene was gone, like she was never there to begin with. All Rachel could do was to fix her eyes on the road ahead. Whoever or whatever caused Magdalene to release her powers was dangerous; enough to scare Rachel out of her wits.

_Be careful, Charlene…_

--Section Divider--

The surrounding air was being pushed out at an amazing rate as a tremendous amount of yoki clashed against each other. Had it not for her half-yoma body, Magdalene would have succumbed to the tremendous pressure. The body that Magdalene had loathed throughout the years was ironically protecting her from any harm at the moment.

That, however, was about to change. Magdalene did not want to admit it, but she knew Nicolae was more powerful than her. Nicolae could have taken her life if he was serious. For now, though, Nicolae was just toying with his prey, and Magdalene had suffered no injury apart from a few gashes here and there; nothing too serious for a Claymore.

Her breathing was getting heavy by the minute. Little by little, her strength was seeping away. At every passing moment, Magdalene's body felt heavier and heavier, her moments turning more sluggish as she struggled to cope with Nicolae's blinding speed and seemingly impenetrable armor. Stumbling backwards, Magdalene steadied herself as she prepared to launch another attack. Even though she was completely outmatched by her opponent, Magdalene knew that her best chance would be to attack when Nicolae was still complacent. Nicolae's over confidence was the only thing working in her favor right now, and Magdalene was not going to let it pass.

By now, blisters were beginning to form on Magdalene's sore palms as she gripped her massive blade tightly. Her sword was the only weapon she had, after all. Magdalene knew that losing her sword was the worst possible scenario that could happen.

_All right, I'll have to use that. _Magdalene stooped lower as she tried to lower her center of gravity. She could not afford to lose her balance when executing her most potent move. Her golden eyes fixed at her enemy, the Organization's No. 1 took a deep breath and took off. With her face bearing a focused expression, Magdalene used whatever strength she could gather with her calf muscles to propel herself straight at Nicolae at the fastest possible speed. Tucking her sword close to her body, the blade held horizontal to the ground, Magdalene made her move.

Nicolae narrowed his golden eyes as Magdalene came rushing towards him, her body turning into a blur as she accelerated faster. Magdalene's sudden boost in speed caught Nicolae by surprise as she did not display such movements earlier. For a moment, it looked like Magdalene had her opponent cornered, for she was able to thrust her blade at Nicolae while he looked on helplessly, unable to block in time.

"That's it!" Magdalene gave a shout as she pushed her massive blade into Nicolae with all she had, "No amount of armor can save you, Nicolae!"

A great cloud of dust was swept up as Magdalene's sword made contact with Nicolae's steel like body. So forceful was the impact that the ground seemed to shake as the tip of Magdalene's sword crashed into Nicolae's body. It took a few good seconds before the dust cloud settled, but what greeted Magdalene's eyes was a massive body, totally unscathed.

"That was close," with a swipe of his hand, Magdalene was flung a few meters back, "I would have died if I had not transformed in time. Was that sudden boost of speed due to your legs semi-awakening? It definitely looked like it."

Whereas he had only transformed his arms earlier, Nicolae was now worlds apart from the original delicate features he once had. Standing a few feet taller than a typical yoma, Nicolea's awakened form did not look out of the normal except for his metallic black skin. In fact, Nicolae just looked like a larger than normal yoma. There was nothing to suggest that the creature standing in front of Magdalene was something possessing the power of an abyssal being; but that was exactly the truth. The seemingly normal looking yoma looking menacingly at the Organization's top warrior was far more dangerous than it appeared to be.

"That's unexpected," Magdalene huffed out as she struggled to her feet, "You looked pretty ordinary. I was hoping you would turn into an animal or something."

Nicolae shrugged off Magdalene's comments and extended his fingers at her, narrowly missing the side stepping Claymore, "I would appreciate if you'll stay still. Didn't I say that I have a story to tell?"

Magdalene practically had to dive to avoid her opponent's shape shifting fingers, which despite their rubbery appearance, were like sharpened blades. She snarled as Nicolae launched attack after attack, "I don't care a thing about your story. The only important thing right now is that you're an awakened being. I don't care what the Organization did to you 800 years ago…"

Magdalene raised her sword and parried another of Nicolae's endless attacks, jumping to her left as she tried to find an opening.

"… All I know is that monsters like you are the cause of what I am today! I'll kill every single one of you if I have to!" Magdalene let out a burst of yoki and charged at her opponent, without much success.

"Hmph… you just don't get it…" hopping to his left, Nicolae easily evaded Magdalene's desperate charge. Stretching out his right arm, Nicolae send the jaded Claymore flying as she crashed into a tree, smashing it to pieces in the process.

Nicolae drilled his fingers through each of the fallen Claymore's limbs, anchoring her onto the ground but not enough to kill her.

"What's wrong with you?" Nicolae smirked, "Release more power. That's the only way you can fight me on equal terms."

Magdalene refused to back down even in defeat, "You must be pretty dumb for an 800 year old to not know that any warrior who releases more than eighty percent of her powers cannot revert back. There's no way I'll turn into something like you."

"I'll have to admit that the way you control your powers is impressive. Unfortunately, whatever attempts you mount will be futile," Nicolae sent the last remaining finger on his right arm through Magdalene's abdomen, forcing her to let out a blood curdling scream as she struggled with the piercing pain.

Magdalene spat some of her blood at Nicolae's face, "Cut it out, you monster! What tricks do you have in mind, bastard!?"

Nicolae liked his opponent's feisty response, "Tricks, I have none. The same could not be said about the Organization, however."

"Just cut your crap and go straight to the point," Magdalene replied defiantly.

"I would, if someone had not attacked me so fervently," Nicolae took his time as he was having the upper hand.

"What do you expect me to do? Welcome you with open arms?" Magdalene hissed sarcastically, "Use your brain before you speak; if you happen to have one."

Nicolae took Magdalene's comments in his stride, "Tell me, what do you know about the city of Staff, warrior?"

"It's where we came from," Magdalene replied curtly.

"That's correct, warrior," Nicolae nodded, "It's where we came from. Staff, the great city of the Eastern Empire, the birth place of the silver eyed warriors, the birth place of us yomas."

Magdalene's eyes widened in shock, "What did you just say?" she asked.

"What did you think happened to this land?" Nicolae gladly answered, "Have you ever wondered how yomas came into existence? Didn't you find it strange that, as weak as humans are as compared to yomas, they are the dominant species on this continent? How, in the first place, did humans even managed to construct huge cities like Agartha way before the Organization even came into existence? The human population will be overrun by yomas if not for you silver eyed witches! How then, did the human population managed to flourish before you girls even arrived?"

Magdalene remained silent, lost for words.

"Isn't it obvious?" Nicolae continued, "Someone planted the seeds 800 years ago. Yomas are in no way a natural occurrence. They were created; the unexpected failed products of a plan hatched by greedy men who tried to play god."

"The organization," Magdalene shuddered at Nicolae's words. She hated the Organization enough already. The possibility of them being responsible for the entire yoma problem made her hate for them grew even more.

"What happened?"

--Section Divider--

The evidence was clear. Shattered rocks, splintered wood and trenches made possible only by a powerful swing from a Claymore's sword all pointed to a massive battle that took place only moments ago. Yet, the immense yoki she had sensed only a short while ago was gone. All that was left behind were residues of yoki that once filled the area. However good she was at her sensory, Charlene could not pin point the exact location of Magdalene. Neither could she sense the unmistakable presence of the awakened being she felt earlier. Except for the scars the battle left on the surrounding area, there was nothing to suggest that Magdalene had fought anybody there.

"That's bad, isn't it?" Ruben remarked casually as he made his usual appearance from within the shadows, "Having the number one disappearing without a trace is a pretty serious situation."

"What do we do now?" Rachel asked.

"Head to Xylar, as was previously planned," Ruben instructed.

"How about Magdalene?" Rachel asked again.

"That's none of your concern," Ruben the turned his attention to Charlene, "Tell me, Charlene. Do you have any idea who was the one that attacked you in Agartha?"

"Her name's Adena," Charlene replied.

Ruben seemed surprised at the answer, "Excellent work. That's all I need to know."

"Bye," Rachel walked off, not keen to remain any longer with Ruben. She always loathed his odd sense of sarcasm.

"Remain in Xylar until further orders," Ruben gave one final instruction, "And stay out of trouble."

--Section Divider--

"Welcome back," Erebus noticed his subordinate returning, "I take it that you've taken care of her."

"She's in the dungeon as we speak," Nicolae replied, "Shall we visit her now?"

Erebus agreed, "I was thinking of that. Let's go, we have little time to…"

"Sorry to interrupt, my lord. But what must I do now?" hiding pathetically in one corner was Argo, the king of Agartha, though he looked nothing of the sort.

"Just make sure you gather everything I have requested," Erebus seemed irritated by Argo's sudden question. He was somehow regretting his decision to use Argo, who was proving to be more incompetent that previously thought.

"Do your job well, my king," Nicolae had to qualms in mocking Argo, "And no more mistakes."

"Y..yes… lord Nicolae," Argo was about to piss in his pants.

Erebus turned his sight to a lady seated at one corner of the room, "Are you coming along?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied, "I can't wait to see how that little girl has grown."

Erebus smiled as the youthful lady with short brown hair followed after him, "After you, Mathilde."

--Section Divider--

A little smaller than Agartha, the city of Xylar, surprisingly, was livelier than the former. The streets were thronged with people – merchants trying to sell their goods, traders bartering with one another, city folks occupying their time with whatever they could get themselves into, and children playing to the fullest under the watchful eyes of their parents.

All the activities happening around them seemed to have lifted the spirits of the siblings; for as soon as Erwin and Ilse stepped into Xylar, their glum faces were replaced by wide smiles instantly. After all that had happened in the past few days, the siblings were finally in a safe place. The same, however, could not be said for Charlene and Rachel. The sudden loss of Magdalene had taken them pretty badly. Despite her rank, Magdalene was actually one of the friendlier warriors around. The two girls, like many others, had looked up to the Organization's number one. To have Magdalene disappear without a trace greatly affected the both of them.

"What do you think had happened to her?" Rachel asked.

Charlene shook her head as she sat down, "No idea," she replied.

"It sucks," Rachel continued, "Maybe someday, I will disappear like her too; killed without anyone knowing."

"Hasn't it always been like that?" Charlene removed her shoulder armor and uncomfortable steel boots as she spoke.

Rachel followed suit as she felt uncomfortable after a long trek, "The two of you can go, you know."

"See, I told you," Erwin chided his sister.

Ilse glared at her brother for a second before turning around to face the two warriors, "Thanks; we wouldn't have made it had the both of you not helped us," she said, trying to put the most genuine smile on her face.

"Ouch! Okay," Erwin hissed at Ilse as she stomped on his foot, "Thanks…"

"No problem!" Rachel returned back to her normal bubbly self for a moment as she bade farewell to the siblings, "Don't forget the two of us, okay?"

"That will be quite hard…" Erwin replied softly.

"Of course not!" Ilse said at the same time as her brother, giving him a pinch at the same time as punishment for saying the wrong thing.

Fortunately for Erwin, Rachel did not catch what he said, though his words did not escape Charlene's sharp ears. As passive as always, Charlene did not bother to react to what Erwin had said.

The siblings left the room as evening approached. They would have to start anew in an unfamiliar place. Charlene and Rachel were soon left alone to spend the night. For now, the only thing left to do was to wait for instructions and to deal with the city's expectedly negative reaction to their presence.

"That Ruben better give us something new to do," Rachel complained, "I'm bored stiff; and Xylar obviously don't welcome us."

Not saying a word, Charlene just nodded her head in agreement.

--Section Divider--

"Not bad, I actually have visitors," Magdalene commented as the rusty steel door of the cell she was in creaked open, the little amount of light in the dark dungeon barely revealing the silhouettes of three individuals.

Her arms and legs shackled by massive chains made from iron, Magdalene could not move at all. Flexing her arms to test the strength of the chains, she realized that no ordinary human could have lifted the heavy chains. Those chains must have been made specifically to restrain beings with strength beyond a normal human being. Magdalene sighed deeply as she knew she fitted the description of having strength beyond a normal human being. Given a choice, she would rather be a weak and helpless damsel in distress. Fate, however, was not so kind to her.

"Long time no see, Magdalene," stroking the bruised face of the bounded Claymore, Mathilde seemed to enjoy watching her former comrade suffer.

"I don't think I know you," Magdalene replied defiantly.

"Surely, you must be joking. There is no way you can't recognize me," Mathilde sneered as she pushed her fingers into one of Magdalene's wounds.

Magdalene shivered in pain as she refused to even let out a whimper, "The Mathilde I knew was long gone, bitch. Whoever is standing in front of me is just a monster using her image."

Seeing that Mathilde was keeping quiet, Magdalene continued, "What's with the silence, bitch? Cat got your tongue? Well, come to think of it, I sure am lucky to have three visitors today, isn't it? Even if they are three bloodthirsty man eating monsters who will probably eat each other up someday."

"As always, that tongue of yours stings like poison," Mathilde chuckled as she ignored Magdalene's taunts.

"Don't speak like you've known me for years," Magdalene shot back.

Erebus stepped forward, "That's enough. I believe we have better things to do."

"Erebus," Magdalene said.

"Look's like Nicolae told you about me. You won't mind if I go straight to the point, won't you?" Erebus signaled for Nicolae and Mathilde to step back.

"What do you have for me?" Magdalene asked.

"The Organization; who's in charge now," Erebus fired his first question.

"Haides," Magdalene answered without hesitation.

"Man, I thought it was Rimuto," Nicolae remarked.

"He sort of resigned from the leadership position two hundred years ago," Magdalene explained, "It was to take responsibility for some incident, I'm told. Anyway, Rimuto's whereabouts is being kept a secret by Haides. No one knows what he's doing, or where he is for the matter."

"Hmph… so much for the Organization's attempt to instill loyalty among their warriors," Nicolae smirked, "Their little pets blurt out whatever we ask of them the moment their lives are in danger."

"Don't get me wrong, pretty boy. The reason I answered was because I hate the Organization to the core. Besides, you still owe me a story. I reckon you will tell me more if I am more obedient, am I right?" Magdalene made no attempt to hide her feelings regarding the ones who turned her into a Claymore.

Erebus seemed pleased with Magdalene's words, "Excellent. It looks like we can both benefit from this conversation. Here's the deal, Magdalene. Answer whatever I have to ask truthfully; and I will in turn answer yours to the best of my abilities. Does this sound alright to you?"

Magdalene lifted her head and smiled, "Deal."

_**End of Chapter 11**_

_**Sorry for the late update. Getting an engineering degree certainly is tough; and I'm only in my first year. Anyway, I will reveal my own "theory" of how yomas were created and how the Organization was formed in the next chapter. Hope this chapter isn't too boring.**_

_**Also, as my exams are coming up, the earliest update would probably arrive at end November. Sorry if I have to make my readers wait long.**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_


	12. Recipe for disaster

**Silvered Assassin**

**Chapter 12: Recipe for disaster**

Beneath the buzz and stunning beauty of the great city of Agartha, shielded by the majesty of the magnificent palace, was a network of tunnels and dungeons that once served the city. Long forgotten by the people and with large portions of the underground network in deplorable conditions, the shocking truth behind these tunnels had seemed to slip away after the long passage of time. One individual, however, was ready to dig up an unsavory part of Agartha's history. A fact that none of the city's present inhabitants were wary of; a fact few still alive on the continent were aware of.

Dark and uninviting, the dungeon was only recently re-occupied by a group of dodgy individuals. Leading them was none other than Erebus, with Nicolae as his trusted right hand man. While the interiors of the dungeon were mostly dark and dirty, Erebus had one particular room spruced up a little. It wasn't much; just a cleaner room with a few chairs and a table in the middle.

"Tell me, Magdalele. Have you ever heard of the legendary empires?" Erebus set himself down on a large chair with a tall back and large arms, almost like a throne.

"Not really," seated on a slightly smaller chair was Magdalene, the wounds she had earlier were mostly healed, "Though I've often heard of tales that the continent used to consist of two large empires back when I was still a pure breed."

Erebus smiled as he listened, "That rumor is quite true, Magdalene. For one who has been living for more than 800 years, I attest to the truthfulness of that little 'tale' you heard."

Magdalene shifted a little when she heard Erebus boasting about his age; the average sized man somehow managed to ruffle her whenever he spoke. There was just some something about Erebus that forced some fear to slowly creep into Magdalene's heart.

"So what about the two empires?" Magdalene tried to sound as confident as possible, "Do they have anything to do with the current yoma infestation?"

"Yes, they do," Erebus replied, "These two great empires divided the entire continent into two halves. The Eastern Empire and the Western Empire. Their capitals were the cities of Staff and Agartha, respectively."

"Staff?" Magdalene was surprised to hear that the very place where she was trained turned out to be the capital city of the long gone Eastern Empire.

"The two strongest empires on the continent with the largest and most powerful armies anyone could find," Erebus stood up and walked towards Magdalene, "Two kings who wanted nothing more than absolute power and control over the entire land. Do you know what that means?"

"It's a recipe for disaster," Magdalene muttered softly.

"As you said," Erebus was pleased that his 'guest' seemed to understand what he was trying to imply, "Those two mighty empires eyed the wealth and prosperity of the other, their insatiable appetite never filled with only half the continent under their control. They wanted everything; and to achieve that, the ravenous kings of the two empires were willing to use whatever means possible to have total control."

Magdalene remained silent as she was beginning to picture what exactly had happened. The reality that yomas were actually being created by humans themselves was looking more likely as she listened to Erebus' words.

"Why don't you guess what happened?" Nicolae was enjoying how Magdalene was struggling with the truth.

"They went to war," Magdalene answered, her eyes set on the floor as reality set in.

"And total destruction followed," Erebus added, "The war dragged on for decades; whatever achievements mankind had done in the centuries preceding the war was wiped clean. More than half of the human population was gone, the majority of them men. Neither side gained any significant advantage over the other. And to make the situation worst, neither side intended to back down."

Magdalene tested the strength of the iron chains again as she tried to move her arms, but the only result was a sharp pain on her bones, "And? What happened after that?" she gave up trying to break free from the constraints and decided to probe further.

Erebus went back to his seat and sat down; his right leg crossed over the left, "They decided to create superior warriors. Both empires embarked on a seemingly impossible mission to create the ultimate warrior; one who would change the course of battle and decide the fate of an entire empire."

"And you were created?" Magdalene asked.

Erebus smiled.

"From the West came creatures never before seen in the history of mankind. From the East came the biggest disaster the continent has ever endured. The creatures were the yomas; the disaster was the awakened beings. Yet, despite their differences in power and ability, these two groups shared a common trait -the lust for human flesh."

Markedly calm in spite of the shocking revelation, Magdalene stared at the ground as she lowered her head, "You're the first awakened being, aren't you?"

Erebus nodded his head in response, "You're half correct. To be more precise, I'm part of the first group of awakened beings that emerged from the city of Staff."

Silence filled the air for the next few minutes as Magdalene took her time to absorb all the information that had been dumped onto her. Closing her tired eyes occasionally, she decided to ask one last question, "One last thing, Erebus. I've been itching to ask you this one question."

"Go on," Erebus graciously accepted Magdalene's request.

"Why are you telling me so much? Who am I that you will tell me everything?"

Erebus' face lit up; as if he was waiting for this one question right from the beginning, "Before I answer that little question of yours, would you like to know the names of the group of men that became the continent's disaster. After all, you only know the two of us."

Magdalene nodded, though she did not have much of a choice, "I'm fine with it, though I have a bad feeling about this."

"Don't worry, Magdalene. You'll like it."

--Section Divider—

Rachel closed her left eye as the morning ray shot through the window, casting a painful glare even on her silver eyes. Having only slept for a few hours, which by the way meant leaning against her huge blade, Rachel was understandably grumpy as the morning glare showed no mercy. She immediately regretted her non stop chattering the night before despite Charlene's repeated advice to rest early. Casting her view sideways, Rachel let out a sigh of amazement as the piercing rays of the sun had no effect on Charlene. The latter remained stationary; eyes closed and arms crossed.

"Now, what have we got here," picking herself up lazily, Rachel stumbled across the room to the tiny table standing in the middle. Grabbing a half eaten apple, the grouchy Claymore happily munched away what she failed to finish the previous day. Unusually peaceful was the morning, a feeling Rachel had long forgotten about.

_The calm before the storm?_ Rachel thought. _Nay, there's no storm later. No way._

--Section Divider--

"Oi! Watch where you are going, boy! Make sure you clean those plates well!" the head cook bellowed as Erwin struggled to balance the pile of plates he was carrying. As efficient as ever, Ilse had already managed to find them a job in one of the many restaurants located in Xylar. Erwin was assigned to help out in the kitchen while Ilse was to serve the many customers that streamed into the busy restaurant.

"Welcome!" Ilse brought forward her widest smile as she ushered two customers to a table, "Please take your time! We have the best pork knuckles in the whole of Xylar!" As she was serving the customers, the bell at the entrance rang, signaling the arrival of another patron.

"Ilse! There is another customer at the door! Quick!" the manager shouted as Ilse rushed to attend to the new arrival.

_Man. Can't he see I'm busy? _Ilse scowled. Even if it was first day at work, Ilse already knew how lazy the manager was. He would always push jobs to his subordinates. To make things worst, Ilse was new, making her the prime target to take advantage of. She hastily made her way to the new customer and as always, put on her best smile.

"Welcome! We have the best pork knuc…."

The manager spun around, "Ilse, didn't I tell you to welcome our customers with your loudest voice? Why can't I hear you? Are you trying to… oh my goodness…"

Ilse froze as a hooded figure stood before her. A head taller than Ilse, the new arrival had a long coat over her body. But two distinct features stood out. The first was that a huge blade no normal human being could carry was strung comfortable at her back. The second was the unmistakable silver hue in her eyes. Adena grinned as she watched Ilse trembled before her. She seldom revealed her silver eyes in front of humans, but whenever she did, their responses never failed to amaze her.

"May I enter?" Adena asked as Ilse continued to be rooted to the ground.

A man dressed entirely in black entered shortly after, "How many times must I remind you not to attract too much attention?"

"Come on, Gethen. You've got to learn how to have fun from time to time," Adena protested softly.

Gethen shook his head disapprovingly, "We'll help ourselves if you're not going to, miss."

Ilse jumped back to life when she heard Gethen's words, "Arh… apologies, please follow me!" The young lady proceeded to guide the pair to an available table, clearly still shaking.

"What would the both of you like?" Ilse asked in a soft voice, "We have the best pork knuckles in the whole of Xylar."

Gethen looked at her and smiled, "Just give me steak, rare. It always nice to have some blood in the steak, don't you think so?"

"I'll have steak as well, half the normal portion," Adena said, "Well done. I hate the color red."

Ilse practically sprinted off the moment she got their orders. A terrified look was on her face as she headed walked off. _There's no mistake. That face, I still remember that face. It's her, definitely._

"Oi, sis! How are you doing? Getting scolded by the manager again?" Always a busybody, Erwin stuck his head out from the kitchen to "spy" on his sister. His sharp eyes did not miss the pale look on Ilse's face, "Ilse, what's with that look on your face? Are you ok?"

Ilse simply nodded and rushed off to serve the other customers as soon as she gave the cook the orders. Making sure to avoid Erwin, she ignored his earlier questions and walked off. Beads of perspiration formed on Ilse's forehead as she thought of that fateful night when their father died at the hands of a Claymore. That shocking event three years ago was still fresh in her mind. Revenge, however, was not in Ilse's mind. She was more worried about Erwin. Given his character, Erwin would certainly go ballistic should he know of that Claymore's presence. His impulsive character would not back down in any way. Right now, Ilse's main task was to prevent Erwin from catching sight of Adena. After all that they had gone through, the last thing Ilse needed was for Erwin to clash head on with a half monster like Adena.

_I cannot let Erwin see her. If she dared to kill our father, she would certainly dare to kill Erwin. I will not let another tragedy happen._Ilse thought as she did her work, trying to look as normal as possible. Things, however, would not go as smoothly as planned. Ilse could never prevent the others from talking about the Claymore. Within minutes, the presence of Adena in the restaurant had reached the ears of Erwin.

"You can't be lying, are you?" Erwin asked as one of the helpers in the kitchen did not hesitate to spread the sensational news, "The two of them are here?" he had initially thought that Charlene and Rachel were the ones.

"Two? Nay, there is only one of them," the helper corrected him quickly.

_One? Strange, it's probably Rachel. That bitch must be here to make fun of me or something. _Erwin continued to wash the plates, much to Ilse's relief. _Hmph… I'll go and chase her off after I'm done with these. She will probably try to mess up my first day of work._

--Section Divider--

"Like I said, Charlene. I'm feeling nothing. Why are you so tensed up?" Rachel asked as her partner hurriedly put on her armor and strapped her twin swords across her back, "They isn't any yoma around, I'm positive!"

Charlene ignored her endless ramblings and continued to gear up. She grabbed her steel boots and slipped her feet into them, "I can feel it. Someone's here, and I have a feeling it's that Adena."

The mention of Adena was enough to startle Rachel as she started to put on her armor, albeit at a slower pace. After losing an arm to Adena in their previous encounter, Rachel had to admit that she was afraid to met her a second time. The possibility of meeting Adena again was more than enough reason for Rachel to get serious.

"But I really sensed nothing," Rachel said in denial. In her mind, she was hoping that Charlene was wrong; that she would not have a second encounter with Adena. Once was more than enough.

Charlene stood up as she finished with putting on her boots. She promptly reached for the door, "I can feel it. It's her."

"Sheesh, since when can you sense better than me? My range is twice that of yours, you know," Rachel protested softly, "Besides, didn't Ruben instruct us to stay quiet? Come on, don't do anything rash, Charlene. Listen to me!"

Charlene stopped and turned her head, "I'm going. You can stay back if you want."

--Section Divider--

"Stop fighting it, Erwin. I know you want to see how a Claymore looks like. Come on, I've heard that those silver eyed witches are quite attractive!"

Erwin spun around in frustration, "Just wait for a minute, Karl! I'll go once I'm done with this mountain of plates! Why don't you go first?"

A new employee like Erwin, Karl just stood beside him, "Nope, I'll wait for you."

"You're scared, aren't you?"

Karl sheepishly nodded his head, "Come on, it will be more fun to have someone accompany me, eh?"

Erwin let out a sigh as he dried his hands, "Fine! Just one look, ok?"

"Great! You're the man, Erwin! Quick, the Claymore is about to finish her meal!" Karl jumped in excitement as he dragged Erwin out of the kitchen, "I wonder how a Claymore looks like!"

Erwin rubbed his forehead in amazement as he was pulled along by his over enthusiastic co-worker. _What's so great about that silver eyed witch. That Rachel will probably doing something unexpected. She is probably the weirdest Claymore you can ever find._

"Look! There she is!" Karl hissed excitedly as he looked at Adena, constantly tugging at Erwin's sleeve.

"Stop pulling my shirt, you dumbass! What's so great about…" Erwin's eyes widened as he saw the Claymore for the first time. It wasn't Rachel, as he had earlier expected; nor was it Charlene. His face turned red with rage as the Claymore turned and looked at him.

"Hey, Erwin! She's looking at you! What's with that expression of yours?" Karl asked as Adena seemed to have taken an interest in Erwin.

"It's her. I remember her face very clearly," Erwin mumbled. Karl had no idea what he was talking about.

Adena smiled as she continued to stare at Erwin, "What an interesting boy."

"You know him?" Gethen asked.

"I don't think so. But his face looks pretty familiar. Now, what's with that fierce look on his face?" Adena cupped her face with her arms and studied Erwin.

"Stop wasting your time on that boy. She is here, get ready," Gethen said as he stood up.

"Erwin, don't do anything silly!" Ilse cried out as Erwin approached Adena.

"Oh? He's coming our way," Adena was getting more interested in Erwin, "I think I know who this brat is."

"Murderer!" Erwin growled as he charged at her, ignoring the fact that he was unarmed and up against a superior being.

"Erwin, stop it!" Ilse screamed in desperation.

Erwin took no heed to Ilse's cries, "There is no way I will forgive this monster!"

"Could he be that boy?" Adena reached out for Erwin as he drew nearer, but stopped halfway as another figure came from behind, "You're finally here."

"Gargh!" Erwin groaned as he was kicked off his feet, away from Adena.

"Hello, brother!" Rachel winked as she placed herself between Adena and Erwin.

"Who's your brother, you bitch!"

Adena placed her palm on the handle of her sword as she faced Rachel, "Nice to see you, young lady. I see that your arm is healed."

A voice came from behind, "I see that you're still alive."

Adena let out a chuckle as Charlene came in from behind, "I've been waiting for you, Charlene. This time, Magdalene is not here to save you."

Charlene narrowed her eyes, "Bring it on."

_**End of Chapter 12**_

_**Sorry for the late update. I will try to be faster for the next chapter.**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_


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